


The First and Only Mrs.Hyde

by QueenoftheWallflowers



Category: That '70s Show
Genre: Cheerleaders, F/M, Forgiveness, Growing Up, Hyde passed Spanish class, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Jackie is his sun, Marriage, Meddling, Original Character(s), Pen Pals, Redemption, Smoking, Soul-Searching, Soulmates, Yelling, anything for you doll, bride, pudding pop, shut your piehole
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 10:45:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17959013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenoftheWallflowers/pseuds/QueenoftheWallflowers
Summary: As it turns out, Sam is Hyde's second wife. He married his first when he was six. Mrs. Forman has the pictures to prove it. Now he just has to get his doll back.





	1. Photograph

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.  
> Also posted on FF.net
> 
> Takes place after Sam left but Jackie and Fez never got together.

Kitty Forman was upset, she had one son in Africa and the other had married a stripper, but was in love with someone else and making the poor girl miserable. She didn't know who to fix this mess. She couldn't do much for Eric but Steven and Jackie were another story.

They had always reminded her of her and Red, one emotional, the other zen-like but they made it work. She always thought they would be good together and seeing them miserable hurt her. The other basement babies weren't helping matters.

Fez was lusting over Sam and Michael had yet to apologize to Jackie for the damage he caused in her relationship. Donna, well Donna had been getting on her nerves with the support she was giving Sam and the way she treated Jackie so horribly of nowhere. Steven was trying to push Jackie away to keep his heart from breaking more, Donna was just cruel towards her.

Kitty missed Jackie, the little loud one always brought laughter and light into the house, but she was pulling away and Kitty and Red were frantic to keep in her their lives. She tried to have the girl over for dinner as much as possible but the girl would see Steven and dart out the door, pain in her eyes and he would stare at her with pain and love in his eyes. He was pushing her away thinking that she deserved better and she was running away because she still loved him.  
__________________________________________________

A few weeks before Sam left, Kitty and Jackie had been making cookies when Steven and Sam walked into the room and Steven stoled some cookies. He bit into one and moaned in appreciation, taking a seat in one of the chairs. Sam moves closer to the stove.

"I don't know how you do it, Mrs. Forman."

Sam had asked about the recipe and Kitty had smiled politely and told her it was a family recipe. Sam had pouted and Steven was quiet as he remembered the fact that Kitty had given Jackie a couple of family recipes back when they were dating. He watched Jackie bend her head over the bowl, almost as she was trying to protect herself from any verbal blows directed her way and he hates himself for making her like that. He's just like Bud and Edna, no he's worse. They never loved each other or him. He still loves Jackie.

He saw a notebook on the table, with Jackie's writing in it. He had to swallow hard and shut the notebook before Sam saw it. In it were recipes, written in small neat, loopy handwriting, with hearts dotting the I's, the notebook had been open to his favorite cookies.

Jackie ignored Sam and kept stirring some more batter. This seemed to annoy Sam as she strutted over to him and sat on his lap.

She made a comment about dessert and he kissed her to shut her up. Jackie stirred faster and she hunched her shoulders as if she was trying to protect herself from any blows that would come her way. It hurt, he would never physically hurt but he was emotionally hurting her. So he suggested that they head to the basement and as soon as they close the door Jackie crumped into the chair he had vacated, crying. Kitty tried to comfort the poor girl but eventually gave up and walked out of the room giving her space but not before she saw her son sitting by the basement door, beer in his hand as he listened to his ex-girlfriend cry. He looked like he was in physical pain and his sunglasses were off.

She wanted nothing more than to comfort him but she wasn't sure how to help her kids. She couldn't do anything, he decided to stay married to Sam, she couldn't change that.  
_______________________________________________________

Eric comes home a few days before the new year with Laurie in tow and he ignores everyone in the basement and heads straight to the kitchen to hug Jackie who breaks down in his arms, crumpling to the floor as the dam finally breaks because someone actually cared to ask her how she was doing, and she looks proudly at her youngest son. She had suggested that Jackie send letters to him so her son was up to date about everything.

The others had followed him up the stairs and they stand silently as they watch the nerd hold the girl he refers to as the devil in his arms, stroking her hair, murmuring to her quietly. Laurie gives her parents quick hugs and kisses and then she stands next to them as they watch Eric and Jackie. Donna looks angry but she glares at her and Red stands there with his arms crossed, a small smile on his face as he watches his son comfort his favorite. Donna opens her mouth and Laurie makes a fist and look at Donna right in the eye and the girl doesn't say anything. Laurie may have slept with Jackie's boyfriend but she knows what its like to have your heart broken into a million pieces by your one true love, so that why she will stand by her. Laurie is a grown woman and she feels guilty about her actions and she owes Jackie an apology. Jackie is one of the reasons she came home, the other is the small life growing in her. She's going to be a mother and she needs to start acting like an adult.

Laurie snaps at the two boys and points to the basement and they nod so Fez and Michael head down the stairs with Donna in tow. Laurie and Red head to the living room and Kitty follows them but not before she looks back at the scene in the kitchen. Steven is left standing in the kitchen, arms crossed, sunglasses on. Her oldest son looks upset as Jackie cries on Eric's shoulder and she knows its because Jackie used to always go to him when she cried. But how can Jackie possibly cry on his shoulder when the one who hurt her is him.  
_____________________________________________________________

After the scene in the kitchen, Jackie doesn't come by until the end of January.

Jackie stops by one day while Kitty and Laurie are drinking wine and lemonade in the kitchen. She asks them to help her make something. Jackie's baking skills have improved greatly since the apple pie incident back when she was a sophomore taking home ec. She doesn't say why she stayed away or why she's in the kitchen and why she is back and neither Forman women ask. Kitty doesn't say a word as Jackie unpacks her grocery bag full of baking materials and she sees that the ingredients are for Steven's favorite cookies. Laurie makes them laugh as she talks about her life in Chicago, careful not to bring up anything that would worry her mother.

Laurie and Jackie had sat down two weeks ago and cleared the air. They talked about Michael and Jackie even told her about steven. Laurie told her about the baby and they eventually went back to Jackie's place talking and giggling. She even got to clear the air with Fez

Steven comes into the kitchen from the basement and sees the cookies and Jackie, he puts two and two together, he opens his mouth and then shook his head and went back to the basement without taking a cookie and Jackie burst into tears, thinking about the last time she made him cookies. Laurie burst into tears too and that's when it hits Kity as to why her daughter has come home.

She's going to be a grandmother. This news should make her overjoyed but as she watches both of her daughters cry, she wants to cry too.

She sends Jackie home with cookies and dinner and she has Red buy ice cream for Laurie and tells her to get some sleep and they will discuss the baby in the morning. Then and only then does she poured herself another glass of wine and decides to look through some photo albums from when the boys and Laurie were much younger, simpler times. Before they got their hearts broken, abandoned like stray puppies, and pregnant out of wedlock.  
______________________________________________

She chuckled as she saw the famous picture of Steven and Eric in the bathtub. Steven's glaring at the camera, but it's such a sweet picture.

There was one of Laurie standing in front of a mirror, wearing a pair of her heels and her pearls and another one of her and Red with the car. There's one of Laurie, Steven, and Eric, all three of them sitting on Santa's lap.

There was one of Eric, Steven, and Michael all squeezed together on Eric's bed, asleep. Michael has one leg on top of the blankets and one arm in Eric's face. Eric is sleeping on his stomach and Steven is curled up with one of Eric's teddy bears under his arm.

She snorted when she came across a picture of Donna sitting on Eric's head. There were some of her and Red. One of all her basement babies minus Fez sitting on the couch, Jackie between Michael and Steven but in the picture, she was leaning against Steven a smile on her face and he was relaxed next to her, the picture had caught the boy giving her a soft smile.

She halfway through the album and on her fifth glass of wine when she stumbles upon a picture she forgot she even had let alone took, her fingers still and a soft smile appears on her face as she stares at the picture of Steven and Jackie, in her basement.

She can't help but think about that day and it made her smile. That was the day that she knew one of her sons had met his soulmate.

She looks at the picture for a while before she looks at the pictures on the next page that are also of Steven and Jackie.

She feels someone sit down next to her. She looks up from the photo album and sees Eric next to her.

"What are you looking at?"

She shows him the picture of Jackie and Steven and he gasps. She flips to the page before and he looks at the picture before he flips back to the previous page.

"Wow. I forgot about that. Look how small we were."

He pulls one of the pictures of the album and holds it with shaky hands.

He chuckles.

"He always loved her, didn't he? He could never say no to her."

Kitty smiles thinking about all the times Steven had helped Jackie out, from holding her hand when they went trick or treating together, after a clown scared her or kissing her knee the one time she fell and scraped it, to the time he took her to prom.

"Sweetheart, they were in love with each other long before they even knew what love was."

"You should show them, remind them of what they are missing."

"I think they are both aware of what they are missing. Thought you weren't going to meddle, I mean you aren't a big fan of Jackie after all, don't tell me a bunch of letters changed your attitude towards her."

Eric shrugged.

"She's the devil but Hyde's my brother and she makes him happy, or as he would say less pissed off. The way she believes in him, no one has ever believed in him and the way he looks at her when she's not looking. Everyone says me and Donna fit well, but sometimes I think they fit better. "

He waves the picture, "This just proves it."

She took the picture from him and decided she needs to go to make copies of the picture which she did a few days later in Kenosha when she and Laurie went to the doctor for a check-up.  
______________________________________________________

The girl working the photo machine and Laurie coo over the picture.

Kitty told the girl that was her son and his longtime girlfriend. The girl said that she hoped they got married one day and Kitty smiled, she still hoped for them to get married.

On the drive home, Kitty told Laurie a bit about the story behind the picture, which made Laurie cry happy tears over how cute it was.

Kitty had originally planned to go shopping with Laurie after the check-up, but Laurie suggested that they bring Jackie along to go shopping for maternity wear. That suggestion made Kitty beam. Her oldest daughter taking in her youngest child under her wing.

So she went home with three copies of the picture and brought frames for them. One frame goes on the shelves with the rest of the pictures, the other two are placed in separate boxes, wrapped with bows.

She wandered into Steven's room and placed one on his bed with a note that said, one day means today.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyde remembers his first wedding.

Hyde was exhausted. He had been working overtime at Grooves so he wouldn't have to come home to an empty bed and a sad, lonely life. He never knew he could feel this empty.

While he didn't love Sam, she had helped him pretend that his life wasn't empty and miserable. She kept him from screwing up even more than he already had. He could never forget the look on Jackie's face when Sam first came into their lives, it was a look of utter heartbreak and he could feel his heart shattering as she took off. He had ruined her life and Jackie had ruined him for everyone else.

He knew that it didn't matter how he shared his cot with, it would never be as good as it was with her. They would all pale in comparison to the petite woman he had fallen in love with.

But she was gone, and all that was left was the empty feeling of knowing he had pushed away the one person who believed in him and loved him like no one else did.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
He strips down to his boxers, the basement was cold but the way he saw it, his life could not get any colder. Maybe he would freeze to death one night, and that would mean not having to wake up knowing he lost Jackie and that she hated him.

He was about to drop down on his bed when he notices something on his pillow.

For a second he hopes it from the petite brunette but the big brown paper tells him otherwise. The only other person who would give him a present is his adoptive mother, so he opens it carefully.

His fingers still when he sees the picture frame and the picture in it. He sits on his bed stunned.

He removes his sunglasses so he can see it better.

It's him and Jackie.

His fingers ran over the frame softly and he can't help but remember that day.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
*Flashback*

He must have about seven years old. The Formans had just come from a wedding and Laurie was on a wedding kick. She had begged Casey Kelso to play wedding with her and he refused, wanting to play basketball before he and his family left to California. So Michael wanting to please the pretty twelve-year-old stepped up, Laurie rolled her eyes but agreed because it was sweet that he cared. She roped Eric into being the ring bearer who was not happy because Donna had scoffed at playing wedding and he liked the redhead. Jackie had come over, she was still new to the group but Kitty doted on her. She seemed excited to play weddings but Michael (who was her ticket to the group), ignored her in favor of the older girl. Laurie made Jackie the flower girl and Steven was to play the priest. So he watched Jackie fidget during the made up wedding and he whined every time Laurie yelled at her to stop moving. It wasn't Jackie's fault, the blonde was simply taking out her anger of Casey Kelso on the young girl.

The wedding was called off before Michael could kiss the bride because Casey came and an argument broke out before he kissed Laurie and the two went off to the Hub. Michael went home dejected and Eric took off running to his room to read a comic as Jackie approached Donna only for the girl to reject Jackie. He watched Donna head to her house and he watched Jackie head to the basement, waiting for Red to drive her home. He headed to the kitchen where Kitty was making cookies and he helped her stir the batter. He liked helping her, she smelled nice and he wished she was his mother.

But then the cookies were in the oven and he headed downstairs to take a nap because Edna and Bud had a party the night before and he didn't get any sleep, wondering one of their friends was going to stumble into his room.

As he walked down the stairs he spotted Jackie on the couch, shoulders slumped, watching the tv.

She had been kicking her legs against the couch and when he approached the couch, he could tell she was crying a bit, as there were tear tracks on her face and he felt bad. So he sat next to her and placed an arm around her back on the couch and she curled in close to him, her head on his shoulder. If it had been anyone else, he would have pulled away but this was Jackie. Tiny Jackie with her big pretty brown eyes who felt right under his arm. Plus she was a girl and he hated making girls cry.

"Hey, Jackie."

"Hi, Steven."

That made him smile a bit. Jackie was stubborn as hell and refused to call him Hyde and after a few unsuccessful attempts, he gave up. He would never admit it but he liked the way she said his name, hardly anyone uses his first name.

"Why are you crying?"

"I wanted to keep playing wedding with Donna and her dolls but Donna said no would want to marry a brat like me."

He frowned, yeah Jackie could be a bit of a brat but she a kid. He didn't like that Donna had been mean to her. Ever since Michael had brought her around the group, Donna had gone out of her way to be cruel. His hand found her shoulder and he squeezed it, the way did whenever she comforted Laurie.

"Donna's wrong. Anyone would be lucky to marry you." He can't help but wish he would be the lucky one.

She looked up at him with big eyes full of tears and he pressed a kiss to her forehead, not wanting to look into her eyes anymore. He wasn't sure what about the tiny doll-like girl that made him act so soft but she was the only one who brought it out of him.

"I'll marry you one day doll."

He froze as he realized the thought in his head had come out of his mouth. She looked up at him and a huge smile appeared on her face and she rose to her knees on the couch.

She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly, burying her head into his shoulder and his arms went around her automatically, partly in fear she would topple over and onto the floor.

"I love you, Steven. I want to marry you one day."

The sentence makes him feel warm and his heart is beating fast and he wonders if that is what it feels like to be loved.

It hits him suddenly that she is the first person to tell him that she loves him. That should make him sad but how can he be when she's hugging him?

"Do you mean it, doll?"

She nods and he wonders how can she possibly mean it?

She's rich and he's poor. How can she possibly want to marry him? Anyone would be lucky to marry Jackie, she's full of smiles and laughter.

He wants a life full of smiles and laughs.

He knows that a life of smiles and laughs will be impossible for him, he's going to end up like his parents, angry and drunk.

But he wants that life that Jackie can offer him.

He pries her off him and goes down on one knee, the way he saw people do in the tv shows that and Laurie liked to watch.

"Jackie, will you marry me one day?"

They didn't realize that Mrs. Forman had been watching them from the stairs and she snapped a picture of Hyde down on one knee in front of Jackie.

Jackie squeals and then her arms are around him when he stands up.  
_________________________________________________________________________  
They sit on the couch watching Scooby Doo, she's curled up next to him, his hand on her shoulder.

Kitty goes back to making dinner.

They are sitting in silence, watching the show until she sighs, she sighs again and Hyde rolls his eyes, knowing she has something on her mind.

"What is it, doll?"

She's quiet and he nudges her so she whispered.

"Steven, I wish one day was today."

She doesn't want to tell him how lonely she is. She doesn't want to tell him how her daddy yelled at her mom and her mother was drinking again and she had to make breakfast on her own because the maid was sleeping with the pool boy who she has caught in bed with her mother. She doesn't tell him how she wants to marry him because he's nice to her and she has seen him beat up guys so she knows he will protect her. She doesn't tell him how she loves him because of moments like this when its just the two of them. She wishes she could marry him because that way they will be together forever. Steven could give her a life of forever.

He was quiet and then pressed a kiss to her forehead, an idea in his head.

"I'll be right back, doll."

He left Jackie sitting there and run upstairs to the kitchen and tells Kitty that he is heading to the corner store. He takes off before she can tell him no, the quarters in his pocket jingling all the way. He comes back and heads to Eric's room and pulled him out of his comic.

"You are going to marry me and Jackie."

He doesn't have time to explain how hearing her say she loves him and how she wanted to marry him made him feel all warm inside.

"What on earth Hyde?"

Eric was so confused, he wasn't even aware that Hyde liked Jackie. At most, he seemed to tolerate her and now he wants to marry her?

"Look she was crying about how no one wants to marry her so I told her I would marry her."

That made sense. It made him uncomfortable when girls cried so it was no wonder that Hyde offered to marry her to get her to stop.

"Today?"

"Yes, Forman."

Eric was unsure but after Hyde hit him he agreed to play the priest, he then asked Kitty to take pictures and Red arrived home from work just in time and he grumbles as his wife makes him join in.

Hyde heads back down the stairs to grab Jackie who looks up at him with tears in her eyes. She thought that she had said something wrong.

"Don't cry Jackie, I got a surprise for you. Come on."

He grabs her hand and pulls her outside to the driveway, his other hand covering her eyes.  
__________________________________________________________________________  
Eric has the bible in his arms and Kitty and Red are sitting in chairs on the porch. Eric watches as Hyde drags Jackie out of the basement, covering her eyes and placing her in position and he watches the realization hit Jackie's face as Hyde whispers something to her and he watches her hug his best friend tightly and to his surprise, Hyde doesn't push her away. He smiles before he heads to stand next to Eric.

Kitty has her camera ready and Red watches his son's best friend with knowing eyes. He hums the wedding march and Jackie walks toward the boys. Hyde takes her hand as she stands next to him and Eric takes a deep breath as they turn to him.

He can't mess this up. Hyde would kill him.

"Dearly beloved, we are here to celebrate a happy day, a happy thing. A marriage. Marriage is very important, it's about being together in good and bad. It's about sharing your feelings and your lemonade and cookies."

Eric trails off not sure what to say so he thinks back to all the shows his mother watches.

"Do you have the rings?"

Hyde pulls out two plastic containers, which he got from the corner store.

He handed one to her and kept the other.

"Jackie, dear, I promise to always protect you from bullies. I promise to always hug you when you are sad and always be there for you. I promise to love you."

He slipped the blue ring on her finger and she beamed.

Eric nodded at her and she looked up at Steven.

"Steven, I promise not to be a brat and not boss you around... too much. I promise to always hug you and to never leave your side. You are my best friend, you always make me smile when I'm sad so I promise to always make you happy. I promise to always call you Steven. I promise to love you."

She struggled with opening the plastic container and he took it from her and opened. She took it from him and she slipped the purple ring on his finger.

"You may now kiss the bride!" Eric grimaced when he said this, he didn't want to say it but it was the number one thing said at weddings. He closed his eyes after he said it.

Steven Hyde looked down at the tiny girl and pressed a soft kiss to he lips instead of her cheek and he pulled away blushing, Jackie giggled her fingers touching her lips. This was the moment Kitty caught with her camera, him blushing and her looking at him with big eyes, fingers on her lips.

Kitty thought it was cute and then she decided they needed to celebrate.

"Who wants cookies?"

Eric ran into the kitchen and Kitty followed him, while Red watched Jackie hold out a hand to Steven.

"Coming, Steven?"

"Yes, dear."

He took her hand and Hydes walk to the kitchen, hand in hand, to eat cookies.

Red smiled chuckling to himself.

He watched Steven pull Jackie onto his chair, his arm around her as they ate cookies.

*end flashback*  
_____________________________________________________________________________________  
Hyde shook his head, pulling himself out of the memory.

He smiles sadly at the picture in his hands.

He and Jackie had a great time pretending to be husband and wife. They had been inseparable.

He enjoyed holding her hand and calling her dear.

It made him feel happy and special whenever she smiled at him.

The happy times they spent together made going home worthwhile. While his parents fought, he would think about something she said or did and he would think of the Formans.

However, their marriage only lasted for two weeks. Donna and her parents had left for vacation the day after their wedding as did the Kelsos. When Donna and Michael came back and found the two curled up in the basement couch together, everything blew up. Donna had some harsh words for the girl and Michael made her cry. Which broke into an argument with Kelso and Hyde and between Donna and Eric. Finally, Eric agreed to kick Jackie out of the basement if the whole wedding fantasy didn't end. Donna was pleased and Jackie was in tears when Hyde agreed she jumped off and ran out of the room. Laurie and Casey Kelso had to walk the poor girl home because she could not wait for Red to drive her home. Laurie who had witnessed the sweetness between the two felt bad for her which after they dropped her off caused a small argument with Casey, who thought Jackie should have been faithful to his brother.

She didn't come by the basement for the rest of the summer, and when school started she was hanging out with the other giggly mean girls of her grade and his grade. A few years later, she began to follow Michael around who doted on her. It broke his heart. Then when they got older he hated her because she brought all these feelings into his life and all she could see was Kelso, stupid Kelso who cheated on her constantly.

He thought about the plastic ring. It was the one thing he kept on him at all times until he lived here in the basement and he no longer had to worry about it being stolen or destroyed, all he had worry was about it being found and being mocked about it.

He went to his stack of books and pulled out a book and opened it up, revealing that it was hollowed out, and he pulled out a plastic ring and sighed.

He had married Jackie once without hesitation simply because it made her happy and then when they were actually together, and he was happy, he couldn't even tell her how much she meant to him. How much he loved her.

He had simply been waiting for her to wake up and realize that she could do better, he had been waiting for her to leave him just like everyone else and when she did leave him with tears in her eyes, he had gotten angry, blaming her.

And then to make matters worse, he assumed the worse of her and one of his best friends who had a history of hitting on her and always being naked and had taken off to on a drinking binge that resulted in him getting married to a stripper. His biggest crime, however, was staying marrying to Sam and rubbing it in in Jackie's face every time she was around.

Sam leaving was one of the best things and worst things to happen, one he was never married but it meant he had thrown Jackie away for nothing. He knew that any chance of fixing things between him and Jackie was gone. It only made him feel guilty, he had chosen something that wasn't real over the girl he loved, all because he was angry and hurt.

He thought about his ex- and they had settled into indifference. She pretended he didn't exist and he pretended that his heart was not broken. Although, he knew hers had been broken in a worse way than his.

He thought about the vows he made to her when they were kids and as he stared at the ring in his palm, he felt something like hope rise in his chest.

He knew what he had to do.

It was time he made good on his wedding vows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, ya'll sorry it's been a week.
> 
> It's midterms and compared to some of my other works, a week isn't a long time to wait. (I have some that I have not updated in years)
> 
> Anyway, here's chapter two, let me know what you think. I have three and four done, they just need some editing and tweaking.
> 
> Love Queen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyde finds about Lauire, overhears a conversation, and gets a kiss.

He makes a list of things that need to get done and then goes to sleep hugging one of the pillows she had left behind and that he had hidden in a box under his bed. The pillow still smells a bit like her and he falls asleep thinking about her.

The next morning he gets up early and starts to clean his room. Beer bottles get thrown out and as does anything Sam left behind. He finds a few things that Jackie had left behind, Nancy Drew books and candles and these all join the other stuff in the box under his bed. He finds her cheerleading shirt and he folds it gently, thinking about the last time she had worn it.

She had shown up to the basement in his old blue jacket and she had dropped it to reveal her uniform. She hadn't been able to even get through a simple cheer before he had kissed her hard and flipped her over his shoulder and taken her to his room. The next morning, she couldn't find the shirt so she had thrown on one of his shirts and tied it up and he was nearly late for work, not wanting to leave her. She looked hot in her skirt and his shirt. She had shown up to Grooves later that evening to help him close the shop in her outfit.

Then he goes searching for a razor. He had thrown his away as a protest about shaving his face but he needed to get his porn star mustache off his face. He can't take himself seriously with it and he knows Jackie hates it. Besides the last time he shaved his face, it was a way to show Jackie how he felt, maybe she will see it and realize he is trying, or maybe she will smile at him.

He bumps into Laurie in the bathroom as he searches for a razor to shave his mustache.

She's throwing up and he holds her hair back as she dry heaves. Her eyes are red and she had an arm cradling her stomach as she looks up at him. He puts two and two together, realizing that she has not had any alcohol to drink since she came home, nor had she been cruel to anyone, and he hugs her. She is a pain to him but in a weird way, she is family. She's his sister.

She always had been.

She was the one who held his hand crossing the street and when Bud left she was the one who gave him one her teddy bears to sleep with. She had taught him how to play basketball. He was there the first time Casey Kelso broke her heart and she was the one who brought him a book on conspiracies theories for this birthday. She had taught him how to put a condom on a banana and taught him how to burn.

"Congrats Laurie. You are going to be a great mom."

She smiles so widely and he helps her up.

She laughs and splashes water on her face.

'Thanks, Hyde."

Breakfast is ready when he exits the bathroom and he, Laurie, and Eric eat in silence as Kitty beams at the sight of her babies sitting for breakfast together, not arguing. After breakfast is done, he heads back to the bathroom, Laurie following him curious, as to why he was heading upstairs, and Eric heads to work.

She sits on the edge of the tub and watches him as he shaves off his mustache. He shaves it all off, and when he looks at himself he feels like a new man, a man who is going to try to make things right with the women he loves.  
\------------------------------------------------  
Laurie lounges on his little cot as he finishes cleaning out his room folding and organizing things, talking to him about her travels and to his surprise he finds himself telling her about Jackie. He tells her the stuff he could never tell anyone else because Kelso and Fez were in lust with Jackie, Donna would burn him and Eric didn't understand their relationship, and it was weird to tell the Formans all the details of their relationship. but Laurie is different, half tormentor, half-sister, she listens.

All she can think about is how her adoptive brother is in love and can see how good it makes him. She feels his pain as he tells her about all the mistakes he made and she feels his love. He and Jackie fit well together, they always have.

Later on, he helps her off the cot and she automatically places a hand on her stomach as she leaves the room. As he follows her, he slips the plastic ring into his pocket.

She notes the way he helps her up the stairs and takes care of her and she feels this swell of pride for her adoptive brother.

"Hyde? You will make a great husband."

She leaves him with that parting thought and she heads upstairs to take a nap and he heads to Grooves, he takes a quick look at the clock. It's only ten in the morning.  
\------------------------------------------------------  
When he gets to Grooves the first thing he does is sit down and go over expense reports. He has Randy and Eric man the registers and Leo wanders around.

Jackie comes in during the afternoon with packed lunches for Eric and Leo courtesy of Kitty Forman.

He can hear her laughing with Eric and he dips into his stash so he won't do something stupid like charging out of his office and pinning her against the counter and kissing her had until she pressed against him and he has to break away because he needs air to breathe. She would laugh before she kissed him again, grinding her hips against his before pulling away and resuming her task, sending him a wink.

His Jackie would love that, she loved his possessive kisses. This Jackie, however, would hate him more than she already does.

Randy heads out with Donna who stops by and he hears Jackie comforting Eric, after the couple leaves. He peers out his door to see Eric with his head on her shoulders, the way Kelso was doing when he got upset and cheated on her with the nurse.

He wants to look away but he can't, he's drawn to her.

"Eric, that's not your Donna. Was breaking up with her in a letter a good idea? Probably not. But I can't get mad or judge you for that because that is how I ended things with Michael. But she's changed and so have you. You have both grown up, that a part of growing up, everyone has to grow up and sometimes you grow apart and sometimes you grow back together."

"It that what happened between you and Hyde?"

"Steven and I... we grew together, but we also grew apart. I want something he couldn't give me." The unspoken but he could give it someone was loud and he watched Jackie brush a tear away.

"Do you think ...?" There were so many ways to end that question. Can you forgive him? Does he love you? Was he going to marry you? Will you leave us all behind?

"I don't know. I don't know, Eric I don't like to think about it, it hurts. I love him, I love him so much and seeing him with her, it was my worst nightmare come true and I kept waiting for the day for someone to tell me it was a joke, a burn but no one did and he just got crueler and crueler... Look in a perfect world we would grow back together. But Eric, Steven has a lot of growing up to do and I can't wait for him. I love him but I have to move on. I might never love someone the way I love him but I have to move on. He made his choice and besides it not like he really loved me. I was just someone to pass the time with, a way to burn Michael, one of the few cheerleaders he figured he would never have."

His heart jumps at the fact that she still loves him. But it sunk when he realized that she didn't think he loves her. That was his own fault, he never told her, only when it benefits him. He had said it enough times to fit on one hand. He hated the way she talked about herself. She was so much more than someone to pass the time with, she was the girl he was in love with, the one he married as a kid and the one he still wants to marry.

However, he didn't see the way her hands tighten around Eric's as she said the last sentence, and Eric knew that those were lies she told herself to lessen the pain because while maybe he hadn't told her he loved her enough, she knew he loved her.

He hurries back to his seat and crosses two things off his list.

Twenty minutes later there is a knock on his door and Jackie comes in.

"Mrs. Forman made you a lunch."

He takes it from her.

"Thanks."

It's in a brown bag and he thinks about the little troll she gave him, he thinks about lunches she made him.

Their eyes meet and he can see she is thinking about the same thing. She turns and leaves the room and he eats his lunch in silence.

He joins Eric at the register a newspaper in his hand.

He finds a red marker and starts circling things.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm moving out Forman. I love your family but I can't spend the rest of my life in the basement."

Eric wonders if he overheard the earlier conversation.

"What brought this to mind?"

"It's been on my mind for a while, with Sam leaving and you coming home, I decided it was time. A new and fresh start"

"Mom's going to freak."

Hyde smiles, sensing a chance for a good burn.

"I'm trying to figure out how to break the news. I don't suppose you can tell me when you plan on screwing up next so I can just piggyback off your screw up?"

Eric scowled at his adoptive brother and punches him in the arm and then his eyes wide when he realized what he just did and to whom.

Hyde glares at Eric and the boy gives a soft squeal and hurries to help a customer. Hyde grins and circles another listing.

His hands goes into his pocket and fiddles with the plastic ring in his pocket.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------  
He talks to Red and Kitty that night and Kitty cries and Red is proud. He goes back to the basement to find everyone there, even Jackie, who had taken to sitting next to Eric when she was in the room with others. It hurts to think his brother was now in his spot, protecting Jackie. However, Jackie is sitting in his chair and he feels a jolt in his stomach at how right it looks for her to be there. he grabs his bag and tosses it to Eric.

"You are not going to join us?"

"Think I'm going to bed. I had some earlier."

Donna snorted.

"Don't tell me you are cutting back again."

Hyde looks at her, annoyed.

"Not wrong with cutting back. "

"When did you cut back?" He turns to look at his brother.

"While you were in Africa. I had a bad trip man, really bad." Eric nods understanding.

"Why are you cutting back now?"

"I have things to take care of and I need a clear head." His eyes land on her in his chair.

Then he heads back to his room, he can't be in the same room as her, see her in his chair and not pull into his lap. He's resisting temptation. He can't sit in a circle with her so near, it brings back memories of circles they had together, the two of them in his room, sometimes naked, sometimes partly naked, smoke spilling from their lips.

Sometimes he would lean over and the smoke would pass to her lips and she would breathe it in and then out back to him before kissing him. They would break away expelling the smoke and then either they would repeat the cycle or she would straddle him, kissing him softly, lazily, and his hands would simply run down her back or through her hair or he would rub circles on her hips.

Those were his favorite circles, the two of them in his room, music playing softly, her long hair around her shoulders, sheet crumpled on his bed.

These moments are when she is silent and he fills the silence with words. He tells her about the car that runs on water, he tells her about his life with Edna, his memories of when he was a kid. He tells her things, things she never tells anyone, things he sometimes doesn't even remember saying.  
\---------------------------------------------------  
Jackie creeps into his room later on as he tries to fall asleep, he can hear her place the bag in his hiding spot and then she pauses before she leaves.

She bends down and he gets a whiff of he perfume as she fixes the blanket over him, she pauses seeing the familiar pillow in his arms and she feels this wave of sadness. It would be so easy to strip down and crawl in next to him, to wrap her arm around her waist, to bury her face into the back of his neck, kissing him there, but she can't not anymore.

"Good night Steven."

She brushes a kiss over his cheek and Hyde listens to her leave the basement. Once the door closes, he turns to face the ceiling and closes his eyes.

Jackie was under the impression that he was a heavy sleeper, the truth was that he only went into a deep sleep around her, when she was in his arms. That was the only time he let himself relax, knowing she was safe in his arms, knowing they were safe.

He holds the pillow tighter and smiles.

She still loves him and she kisses his cheek. He could work with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have two papers due at the end of the week and instead I edited this and managed to work on two other chapters for this. This was supposed to be a one shot, which became three chapters, and now I have like six chapter and possibly a few more on the way.


	4. Ch 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyde moves out and makes a new friend. He thinks of the future and he screws up again.

He spends the weekend looking at apartments and it's not until he's driving back to the Forman's from Grooves one night when he finds it. On accident, of course.

He had been driving home when he saw this woman arguing with these two men in front of an apartment complex. The woman was thin and seemed to be upset. He watches her turn away only for one of them to grab her while the other moves to block her from the street.

That didn't sit well with him so he pulls over and advances on them.

"What is going on here?"

"None of your business dude. Just had an argument with my sister."

The woman wretches her arm free.

"I'm not your sister, don't touch me."

Hyde reaches for the girl and tugged her next to him and glared at the two men.

"I suggest you leave unless you want an ass-kicking."

One of the men throws a punch and Hyde grins and he ducks and throws a punch back. The man went down and his friend picks up his friend's body and hurries off. Hyde turns to examine the women who had rushed to his car.

She's was short, dressed in sweat pants, a red tank top, with her breasts almost spilling out, her hair pulled into a bun. She fixes her shirt and then looks up at him as he approaches her.

"You alright Ma'am?"

"I'm fine. Thank for that Mr..."

"Hyde. Anytime. Can I ask what that was about?"

The woman sighed.

"I'm their landlord. They were having some problems with their plumbing so is I popped by to check it out and they got grab assy with me. I told them to knock it off twice and they didn't listen so I kneed one of them in balls and took off. Told them to hire a plumber and will they didn't like that."

Hyde grimaces.

"They are your tenants?"

"Yup, I would ask them to leave but I need the money."

"I don't suppose you have an apartment empty?"

The woman grins.

"Actually I do. You want to check it out?"

He locked his car and nodded.

"That would be great Ms..."

"Ashley. Ashley Meredith Lynn. "

She stops in front of a door and held out a hand. He shook it.

"Hyde. Steven Hyde."

She opens the door and he steps inside.

It was perfect.

Ashley had agreed to cut a deal in exchange for him helping her out with some of the other tenant problems. She went over some papers including apartment rules. Smoking and pets were okay as long as no one complained. He agreed to come the next day to sign the papers.  
___________________________________________________________________________  
He drives home, wondering how fast he could move in, when his stomach growls so he pulls into the hub parking lot and bought a burger, and as he went back to his car, he heard a soft whimper and looked down to see a small black puppy looking at him with what seemed to be Jackie's eyes.

Crap he thought.

He can't refuse Jackie when she used to look at him like that so of course, he can't refuse the puppy.

He sighs and gives half his burger to the puppy and continue on his way, the puppy following him. He got into the car and the puppy kept looking at him and thirty seconds later the puppy is curled up in the front seat of his car.

He hid her in his basement room, where she curled up on the floor, one of Eric's shirts used as bedding, and the next day before work took her to the vet.

The vet examined her declared her too skinny and a few months old and asks him if he was adopting her. He was about to stay no, he had enough on his plate with a new apartment and Jackie, but the puppy looks at him and he sighs and nods. The vet hands him some papers to sign and that was how he became a father to a five-month german shepherd puppy.

The puppy made its grand debut at his store.

Eric's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of his best friend cradling a puppy in his arms.

"What the hell! What's that?"

"This is a puppy, Forman. Her name is Midnight."

"Midnight?"

"It was around midnight when she found me."

The puppy wanders around the store and pees on Eric's shoe which makes Hyde smile but watching Jackie squeal over the puppy when she came in with lunches made him feel really hot. She is talking in a baby voice and suddenly he could picture her talking to their kids like that. He can see her calling the kids and the dog in for dinner. He can see himself slapping her ass and her laughing, as their kids roll their eyes in disgust. He can see himself lifting her onto the kitchen counter to kiss her as the cookies burn in the oven. He can see it all and he wants that. It makes his heart ache with want.

She came to his job twice that day, once with the lunches, the second time with stuff for Midnight, which includes various squeaky toys, a light blue collar, and some treats. Midnight adores her and Jackie spends the day sitting on the floor, playing with his puppy, her giggles when Midnight licks her makes him hard and he has to go out for a smoke break. He tries to think of his mother passed out on the couch, of his adoptive parents running up the stairs, of his friends, and it works.

However, when he comes back in, Jackie has the puppy in her arms, talking to a blond man and he feels anger. But then he notices that her back is straight and that she has a fake smile. Midnight barks when he comes in and their eyes meet and he knows something is wrong and she gestures to him, blowing him a kiss and he realizes Jackie is attempting to brush the guy off. Jackie puts the dog down and the man reaches to grab her wrist with one hand and her ass with the other, Jackie jumps and squeals and Midnight pees on the man's foot and the man yells and takes a threatening step towards the puppy, while still holding onto Jackie's wrist and all he can see is red. The next thing he knows, the guy is flat on the ground and Jackie is standing in front of him grabbing his wrist, examining his knuckles.

"Steven?"

He turns to face her and pulls her away from the fallen man. Midnight is growling at the man.

"Are you okay?"

He reaches for her wrist and he can already see faint bruises.

"I'm fine."

She doesn't look fine and he doesn't even think about it before he pulls her in close, pressing a kiss to her wrist before pulling her into a hug taking in her scent. Jackie clings to him and he pulls his head away only for her to do the same and they freeze, faces close. He can stare into her eyes all day and he thinks about kissing her but Midnight barks, breaking the spell and he bends down to pick her up, thankful for the distraction.

"You alright Midnight? Good girl, protecting Jackie."

He scratches one of her floppy ears and she licks his fingers. Jackie smiles and reaches over to press a kiss to Midnight's nose. Her eyes meet Hyde's and he swallows hard. How can she turn him on being simply kissing his dog's nose?

Eric watches the pair and smiles. They look like a happy family. Eric can practically see the heart eyes and the lust on his brother's face. He wonders if his brother will attempt to win her back and what is his plan in doing so.  
____________________________________________________________________  
Ashley Meredith Lynn was a force to be reckoned, just like Jackie, which was probably why he likes her so much.

He watches her with a smile as she helps hang curtains and organize his kitchen. He had not asked his friends for helping to move in, wanting to do it on his own and he needed the privacy and Ashley had helped him carry in boxes without blinking an eye, she had even picked up a couple of the heavy ones. When she asked about his friends, he told her that they were all busy and most of them weren't too good at lifting heavy things which made her laugh. She catches him looking at her and raised an eyebrow, cocking a hip.

"Hyde?"

"Thanks for helping."

She nods her hair falling out of her bun. She reaches down to scratch Midnight's head and she smiles and he takes the time to look her over.

Ashley has blonde hair that she had dyed dark purple and green eyes. She is taller than Jackie but shorter than Donna unless she was in heels. Her boobs were big like Donna's and she had a small tattoo on her hip. She was pretty and he would have to be blind not to notice it but, what he noted was that she was lonely. She had jumped at the chance to help him unpack and didn't say anything over the fact that it took all day.

They chat while unpacking his stuff.

The woman had come home to help her grandfather and was miserable with no friends. She had been engaged, which he knew still affected her judging by the dark look in her eyes. She was attention starved and he thought of Jackie whenever he saw her.

As he watches her go back to her lonely apartment, he thinks about Jackie and how she spent time around people who were not too fond of her because she didn't want to be alone.

Ashley had seemed happy helping him hang up things and unpacking his records. She could use a friend and he could use a friend, not in the basement.  
_______________________________________________________________  
So after a particular rough dinner with the Formans, where Jackie was there talking about a potential date, he went and brought some beer and went to Ashley's apartment.

She answered the door in a tank top and shorts and no bra.

"I have beer?"

She opens the door wider and Midnight darts to greet Luna, Ashley's cat.

They sit on the couch and he hands her a beer. They drink the first one in silence. She cracks open her second one.

"There's this cop at my work who drives me insane. Calls me sugar every time he sees me and I want to punch his face. He tips well so I don't. Plus he's hot."

"My ex is dating again."

"How long?"

"We broke up a year ago, it was bad."

"Do you want to talk.."

"No, I'm not drunk enough yet."

"Do you smoke?"

He grins at her and pulls out a bag from his shirt and she laughs, sliding it back into his pocket. She brushes a kiss to his forehead and heads to her bookshelf.

"I got you this time. "

She tosses him her stash and he's not going to complain.

He finds out that she's from Chicago, two years older than him and hates coffee.

He lets her talk, it relaxes him and if he closes his eyes it's like being with Jackie.

As their high wears off, she sighs from where's she laying on the couch.

"Did you love her?"

He's quiet.

"More than anything. Never told her enough."

"You should."

She falls asleep and he drags a blanket over her frame and he crashes on the floor.  
_________________________________________________________________________  
When he wakes up, she is already gone but he finds breakfast in the microwave and a note on the table telling him to hold onto her spare key so he can lock the door.

He smiles at the trust she is giving him.

He doesn't know what it is about small loud-mouthed cheerleaders but they seem to trust him for some reason.

He goes home to shower and then heads to work.

Jackie comes in with lunch as usual.

He steers clear of them not wanting to chase her off. The only times she talks to him are to give him his lunch or to ask him something about Midnight.

She's telling Eric about her date in which the guy ordered her a salad. She was not impressed. It made him happy to know the guy would not be getting a second date but it made him sad to know that she is open to dating again, which he knows makes him a hypocritic with the whole stripper wife thing.

His conversation with Ashley is on his mind and when she drops off his lunch he mutters "Thank you doll, love you."

He doesn't realize what he said until the door slams and he hears Eric call out after her.

Eric comes in furious.

"What did you say to her?"

He's pale thinking of how easy the words came out now. Where was this ease a year ago, when he needed it the most?

"I thanked her for the lunch and then said love you and I may have called her doll."

Eric slams his hands on the desk. Hyde knew his friend has inherited his father's temper but he had never seen it like this, in his face. In this instance, he was sure that his friend could and would have landed a punch, but then again he would not have defended himself since he deserves it.

"What the hell Hyde? Why would you do that? Do you know what it took to even convince Jackie to even go on one date? Jackie refuses to go on dates because she feels like she's cheating on you. Isn't that sad? You hurt her and she feels like she's cheating on you. Why would you say love you? You almost never said it to her."

Hyde feels the anger in his veins and he stands up.

"It slipped out. I went out to the bar yesterday, talked to the bartender. The bartender told me about how I should say I love you more and that conversation was on my mind. They gave some decent advice. It slipped out. And I said it to her, she was always sleeping."

"Did you mean it?"

The two best friends simply look at each other. Then Hyde removes his sunglasses so Eric can see his friend's blue eyes. Eric can't remember the last time he saw his friend's eyes. Jackie was the only person who ever got to see his eyes on a regular basis.

"I do."  
________________________________________  
Ashley shows up to his apartment, with wine in one hand food in the other, five days later.

"My sister is dating my ex-boyfriend."

He lets her in and Luna weave around his ankle before the cat darts up to Midnight's bed and stretches out.

They eat on the sofa as he has yet to buy chairs for his table.

He's lacking a lot of furniture and she points this out to him and he shrugs.

"I'm bad at this stuff, my ex is good at this but I can't ask her."

"Want some help?"

She raises an eyebrow and then nods. Her hair is loose around her shoulders and as they drink their wine, his hand automatically twists a strand as they talk. She tells him about her sister and the anger and hurt she felt when she got the news, earlier that day and about her former relationships, good and bad.

After a while there was silence and he looks at her as she stares off into space. They don't talk for the rest of the night until she leaves for her apartment.  
_________________________________________________________

It becomes a tradition, she shows up every Saturday night with drinks and on Tuesdays they get lunch.

He learns that her grandfather had raised her after her parents took off. He tells her about Edna and the Formans. She tells him about the baby she gave up for adoption.

They have known each other for three months when he finally tells her about Jackie.

He comes over with beer and she has dinner on the table. They don't drink the beer until they are both on the couch, their pets sleeping. They get through their first beer in silence. It's not until he reaches for the second beer that he speaks.

"I think I'm ready to tell you about my ex."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Wallflowers!
> 
> Sorry that it has been a while. I have been busy with school work but I do have several chapters written out, some just need to be edited and others need to be finished. This story is turning out to be longer than I expected. This was originally a one-shot that was over 10 thousand words and now it's expanded. (This chapter alone was over 5,000 and I ended up splitting it into 2) I'm not too sure how many more chapters mostly because every time I think that I'm done, I realize I can add another point to the storyline that ends up being another chapter.
> 
> I have several other ideas for this fandom and I can't wait to have time to work on them all!
> 
> -Queen


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyde talks... a lot... and a lot of beer is consumed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN1: So this chapter is really long and it's Hyde explaining his relationship with Jackie. If there is one thing I know is that people tend to talk when they are drunk and its easier to tell strangers things than it is to tell close friends. I just figured that since Ashley is an outsider, Hyde would tell her the story. He's a bit ooc but only because he's drunk and high (think of how drunk he was at the beer warehouse) and because it's Jackie, and she sort of (really) makes him soft.
> 
> AN 2: I remember that Hyde once said he was passing Spanish class so my headcanon is that he picked up bits and pieces of it from his neighbors when he lived with Edna and so he knows the basics which is why he is doing good in that class, plus Jackie was in his class and he wanted to impress her/do better than her. This is important later on.

"I think I'm ready to tell you about my ex."

Ashley sits up straight and her eyes are wide, she never thought she would ever hear those words from him.

Steven Hyde did not talk about his ex much, she had never once ever heard him said her name. She was always known as the ex, or when he drank too much, doll. He sometimes would make little comments about her, like when she had started dating again and he made a comment about a guy running his hands through her dark hair or the fact that she tasted like strawberries and summer. Or the fact that she was a former cheerleader.

Ashley didn't know much about her, except that she was still in his life. She wasn't even sure what the girl looked like besides the fact that she had dark hair and pretty eyes.

Once, she had to carry Hyde to his bed. She had tucked him in as he rambled on in Spanish and tried to sing You Are My Sunshine. She had been about to turn off the lights when she spotted some frames on the dresser. One was a prom picture with a girl in a lilac dress in it, the other was a group picture with everyone in graduation gowns, Hyde's arms were around a redhead and a tall skinny guy, and final picture was one of two kids smiling at each other. There was a black box in front of the picture and she had opened it up to see a ring.

Her heart had ached when she saw it. He had to love this girl if he got her a ring. Steven Hyde was not the type to marry someone he did not love. She never mentioned it to him and he never knew.

She was curious about this girl and about what had happened between the couple.

So she sits up and faces him, bottle in her hand. She notices how tight his grip on his beer is. If he held it any tighter, it would break. Like he was about to.  
____________________________________________________________________

"When I was a kid, I got pretend married to this girl, those two weeks were the best of my life. But it caused a big fight between my friends and I was a stupid kid who said dumb stuff and it hurt her badly. A few years later she became one of my best friend's girlfriend and I couldn't stand her. She was my complete opposite, rich and spoiled, a cheerleader, a princess. She believed in true love and all that crap. "

Ashley bursts into laughter and he glares at her.

"I'm sorry this sounds like the beginning of a Disney movie."

She takes a long swig and he watches her smile, lazily. Damm cheerleaders and their fairytale bullshit.

He rolls his eyes and continues on.

"My friend cheated on her constantly and the first time she found out, she flung herself into my lap and cried. She took him back but they broke up again and then she found out he was going to prom with the girl he cheated on her with. She begged me to go with her and when I said no, she burst into tears and buried her head into my chest and I was a goner. I hate proms and dances and school yet I went cause she cried. I got a matching shirt and even spent money on a corsage. I'll never forget the way she looked standing on the porch. She was gorgeous, still, the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I stared at her in awe and I told her she looked beautiful and I remember the way she looked at me. She told me I was beautiful and then offered to meet my drunken whore of a mother. No one has ever offered to do that, and here is the princess of the town offering to meet her, like she's something special."  
____________________________________________________________  
Ashley is in love. She's in love with the way Hyde lights up, talking about his ex. These are all things that he should be telling his ex, if she heard this maybe she would give him another chance. It makes her heart ache the way he talks about his ex, she wants someone to talk about her like that.

"When she saw the corsage I got here, she got all flustered and kissed my cheek and man I was so tempted to kiss her. I wanted to kiss her on the front steps of my porch, where the rats live, with my drunken mother on the sofa 30 feet away, with the neighbors eyeing her fancy car. I let her fuss over me and took pictures with her, I still have that prom picture, hell it even made the yearbook! Anyway, we danced and I was so scared to hold her, I was rough and she was so small, so pure and I didn't to ruin her. She was sad watching my friend parade his whore of a date so I helped get them back together and screwed the girl that my friend cheated on her with, in the backseat of her car. I regret helping them get back together."

Ashley thinks about the prom picture of his dresser, and she admits they make a striking couple.

"He cheated on her again, this time however I wanted him to get caught and I did everything short of telling her, I wished I told her. She called it quits with him and then with a basement full of people with arms open to comfort her, she ran to me. Just threw herself into my arms. A few days later I drive her to the mall because she's lonely. She buys me lunch and boots and kisses me in the front seat of the car after I made her cry again and stroked her hair telling her she was going to find someone better. I had to push her away, and that was hard to do. I don't know what it is about her and crying but it gets to me. She kissed me again, as a thank you for hanging out with her, in front of Kelso, it was on the cheek but it would have been so easy to turn my head."

Ashley made a mental note of the name Kelso, it was the first name he shared in his story.

"Aw, was that your guys' first kiss? Why didn't you make a move? I know you said that you didn't really like her but I think you did."

Hyde rolled his eyes.

"Our first kiss was when we got married as kids. And I didn't want to give her false hope. We couldn't get together, she was my friend's ex."

Ashely rolls her eyes and takes a drink before speaking.

"First of all, aww and second of all, I'm pretty sure rules don't apply when it comes to cheating, third this would make a good story, and fourth, you didn't deny that you liked her then."

"Shut your big fat cheerleader mouth, will you."

"Yes, sir, yes sir."

She would take that as a yes.  
_______________________________________________________________  
"We bonded, I protected her from her ex and his new girl, who was actually my foster sister and I liked spending time with her. But then she followed me around like a baby duck and it was annoying. I had to remind myself that she was my friend's ex and a kid. It was flattering to get her attention. She was a cheerleader, top of the school pyramid and I was a burnout, everyone was scared of me. Then I got arrested.

Ashely's eyes widen and she nearly spits out her beer.

"What? How? Why?"

He gives her a look and she rolls her eyes and reaches for her third beer.

"She wanted me to like her so she scored some film. She's a total square and we got into a fight and a cop came and saw it. She freaked out and I told the cop it was mine, without even thinking."

"How romantic."

"I nearly got kicked out of my foster home because of her."

"Still it's sweet. Most guys wouldn't step up. This guy I dated in high school and I got caught smoking under the bleachers and he took off leaving me to hang. Needless to say, his reputation was hung once I was through with him."

Hyde smirks he knows how dangerous cheerleaders can be. He has seen Jackie in action.

"Then Veteran's day happened."

Ashley could tell the story was taking a turning point.

"Wait. Bathroom break."  
She jumps up and he takes the opportunity to grab his stash, she makes popcorn when she sees him and grabs some cookies. He passed the joint to her and after a few rounds, she ready for the story. She sits cross-legged, pillow on her lap, she had changed into pajama pants and a tank top, hair in a ponytail. She claps her hands.  
______________________________________________________________

"So Veteran's Day!"

He laughs, Ashley looks like a kid eager for a bedtime story.

"She asked me out and I told her to leave me alone, to die away from me."

She punches him hard in the arm.

"Ouch, woman what was that for."

"Asshole, you don't ever tell anyone to die away from you. How shitty would you have felt if she actually did die?"

He had no argument but that thought had flashed through his mind several times.

"Anyway, she asked me out and I told her off. So she shows up to my family picnic with some asshole in tow. She plays it all cool and I talked to the guy, he talks about nailing her and I give him a warning about her being a kid, you know she's only one boyfriend. He says stuff about her being a bitch and I saw red. I decked him and she came running, hearts in her eye. I went inside and my foster mom was there and she asked me about my little girlfriend. I told her she was wrong and she sort of told me that my argument about not liking her was invalid because I didn't like a lot of things. I told her to shoot me if I liked her. So my foster mom points a finger gun at me and shoots me and it was like cupid. I remember being angry and thinking when did this happen? Why her? How did this happen? What now?"

Ashley wiggles in her seat and raises her hand like a child. The film had to be getting to her.

"I know I know. You like her, you love her."

He hands her a water bottle and shoves a cookie into her mouth to shut her up.

"So I marched outside told her we were going on a date. Man the way her eyes lite up. I never regret asking her, my only regret is what happens later. Anyway, I buy her a burger and I get some pop. We got to the makeout area and I drive to this special spot I found, its father up then most people want to go so no one was there. We sit in silence on the car hood for half an hour. It was nice. She told me it was the best date ever. I didn't know how to tell her it was my first date, that wasn't going to end in sex, and I wasn't sure what to say. Then she started babbling on about I deserved love and what not and I blew a raspberry then, she got upset and jumped off and this panic hit me. I didn't want this date to end. So I convinced her to come back and we sat on the hood, she put my arm around her, and it felt right. She got cold and I gave her my jacket. We were on that hood for another two hours and I liked talking to her. Then she ended our date and I admitted that I had a good time. Then she leaned in and so did I. And we kissed."

Ashely lets out a squeal and Midnight opens an eye as does Luna.

He smiles at her enthusiasm but shoves a pillow in her face.

"Scream into that."

Ashley takes the pillow and does so. He reaches for his fourth beer and two minutes later she stops and smiles.

"So you kissed..."

"I was a goner. I felt something and it scared the crap out of me. How does a 95-lb girl do that? But, anyway, she pulled away and tells me that the kiss was hot but she felt nothing and I felt disappointed but not surprised. She made this big deal about loving me and now nothing, when has anything gone my way? Princesses don't end up with guys like me. After she said that, I had a crisis. Do I tell her the truth or do I lie?"

"You lied didn't you?"

Ashley is sad and he nods and she reaches for his hand and squeezes it.

"I was so tempted. But I agreed and then to get rid of the tension, I told her I was not opposed to doing it and she laughed and told me to take her home. Yes dear, was all I said. When it comes to her, yes dear and anything for you doll are the words that apply to her."

"You call her doll? How precious!"

The fact that he doesn't kill her for interrupting him is a testament to how drunk and high he is.

"She got back with my friend again and I hated it. Then her boss forced a kiss on her at her job and my friend flipped out which is funny because of all the times he cheated on her. Long story short, he proposed to her.

"He proposed? To your doll."

Ashley jumps up and the pets are startled.

He sighs and pulls her down next to him.

"He leaves to California that night taking her best friend, Donna. Donna dated my foster brother Eric and she had just been dumped by a Kelso brother. She had tried to get back with Eric but he said no so she left with Kelso."

Ashley gasps, her mind spinning trying to remember all the new names.

"Wait, her best friend left to California with... wow that's a shitty thing to do. Who would do that? Oh, I wouldn't trust her. Wouldn't be surprised to hear they hooked up or something."

Hyde is quiet, he won't lie, the question had crossed his mind a couple of times, especially considering how Donna had always sided with Kelso on things. He shakes his head, he can't think about it now, he needs to focus.  
_______________________________________________________________

"She's cries into my arms for an entire day and then a week later she heads into the basement, okay. She sits down and she's still upset an angry but she doesn't want it to ruin her summer. She says they are done for good. She writes a letter, breaking up with him. We spend the summer together, I teach her chess, we head to the pool, to the amusement park, to the movies, but those things cost money and get tiring after a while and we get bored. We were watching tv complaining about how there is nothing to do and suddenly there's this shift in the air. We look at each other and I realize there is something to do. I don't know who leans in first but we kiss then pull away, five seconds later we are making out. We spend the rest of the summer sneaking around but summer comes to an end and a part of me expected her to forgive him but she tells me she wants to keep us a secret. Of course, after we decide that we get caught by Eric and Donna. They lecture us on how we are wrong and bad and we tell them it means nothing. They demand that we end it and we don't so they tell us that we have to tell her ex and I know we should but it's annoying because he cheated on her and no one cares but she moves on and she's the bad guy. "

Ashley opened her mouth and holds up a finger and grabs another beer to try to clear her head.

"So what happens after the Eric and Donna get involved?"

"We become official and he finds out, we go on a few dates and I'm happy, actually happy. I got a family, a girl, a car, a job, what more could a guy want? Then shit happens in her life but I'm there for her, she sort of movies in with me without anyone knowing and we are good but then Kelso invited his California girl into town and it's horrible. He rubs Annette in her face and she's not used to it. He took Pam to prom and rubbed his relationship with Laurie in her face but Pam got kicked off the cheer team and she kicked Laurie's ass. They were making out and she screamed for Annette to get off her boyfriend and my heart just took off and I decided to break up with her. We got into an argument and she blurted out that she loves me. You know she's the first person to ever say that to me. I take her back and we head to the dance and things were good, really good but I messed up, she and Kelso were friends and she didn't seem to care that he hit on her. She told him off but I saw them once on the couch, they were cuddling and I lost it. I went screwed this nurse. All for nothing. Turns out she was comforting him. The look in her eyes when I told her. It felt like someone was hammering nails into my heart. She cried and I couldn't do anything. She used to go to me when she cried but I made her cry this time."

He doesn't realize that tears have escaped his eyes until she wipes them from his face. She's crying and she moves closer and wraps her arms around him. He can't remember the last time someone other than Jackie hugged him. He should feel embarrassed but all he can feel is relieved that it is off his chest. He never told Jackie how seeing her cry because of him crushed him.

"Why don't we take a break?"

He shakes his head.

"No! I need to keep going. I don't know if I will ever tell this story again."

She nods and gets up an comes back with a blanket she tosses to him and grabs one for herself. She reaches for her beer and then reaches for his hand. She can tell that what comes next is worse. He lights another joint and she puts her beer down to take her turn.  
___________________________________________________________________________________

"So you cheated..."

"I hurt her badly. She strings me and her ex making me think its a competition, it's my punishment. She picks me but when I found out she made a choice I arranged a date, to protect myself and to show her I won't play her games anymore. we got back together but I got scared. We were growing up too quickly and I freaked, I pushed her away, made her doubt my love for her and then she got a job offer and she asked me what to do, I told her to have a good trip.

I could have open my mouth and asked her to stay, I could have told her how much I love her, how she's the sun in my life, the only women I see a future with. All I said was have a good trip, I get drunk with some friends and that's when I decide I want to marry her. The truth is I got a ring awhile back, I just wanted to wait a few more years, once I had my own place and could take care of her properly before proposing but life took off and I got scared. But I decided. I wanted to be Mrs. Jackie Hyde. So I go to give her the ring, only to find out that she left. She left without waiting for an answer and it broke my heart. I head over to the motel she's at and she's laying on the bed in a nightgown and she looks sad but her eyes light up when she sees me and I think we are going to be okay. Then Kelso comes into the room in a towel, he says something about no one can see them having sex and I lose it. I ignore her screaming and crying and I just take off. "

Ashley is crying, one hand squeezing his, the other cover her mouth trying to muffle her tears.

"I don't come back for a while and instead of leaving, she stays here, waiting for me. I head out to Vegas, go on a drinking binge, and I don't remember anything. One day I wake up from a nasty hangover and feeling like my heart was missing and I knew it was time to go home. So I went home and I was so close to fixing it. I tell her I'm not ready to get married yet, which was a lie because I still had the ring in my pocket but then there was a knock and who should enter but my stripper wife."

Ashley had never heard him sound so bitter, so self-loathing.

" But it gets worse because instead of telling Sam the stripper to leave I let her stay, I tell everyone that I need to make my marriage work and every time I see her, I'm cruel to her, I tell her I don't love her, that she was just an easy lay. I tell her that I love my wife now, I kiss Sam and parade her around in front of everyone. I'm doing everything I can to get her to leave so I can stop looking at her and feeling guilty. I don't know why she gave me the time of day, why she loved me, she could so much better and I swear I spent half of the relationship waiting for her to realize that instead of cherishing and loving her. I still love her, but I ran out of chances. The worst part is that Sam wasn't even my wife. She already had a husband, so I threw away the love of my life, my one chance to be happy, for nothing."

He grabs another beer and drinks it as Ashley wipes her tears away.  
_________________________________________________________________________

So what do you think?"

Ashley laughs and holds up her full bottle of beer.

"First of all, congrats on screwing up in a way I didn't even think or know was possible. All I can say is that you have your work cut out for you but you said she's still around in your life? And I remember you mentioned that she can't date without feeling like she's cheating on you which means she still cares. It's not going to be easy but I think if you really work hard, you can fix this. Your story is done yet, all fairy tales end with a kiss so it's not the end yet. Second of all, about your friends forcing you to come clean, was wrong because they should have supported you, but they had a point. Yes, she cheated but he was your best friend, you should have sat down and explained how important this girl was to you, and don't say she wasn't because you wouldn't have considered ruining a friendship over someone who meant nothing. But your ex didn't owe Kelso an apology, he owed her one because he cheated, she was well within her rights to move on, maybe one of his friends wasn't a good idea but the heart wants what it wants. But the fact that they forced you to come out when you weren't ready is wrong. I'm sure over time your friend might have been okay with the news. I think if you had been upfront about what she meant, things might have been smoother."

He considers what she says, and he knows she has a point. A lot of the issues in his relationship could have been avoided if he had just opened his mouth and said what was on his mind.

"My life isn't a fairytale."

She rolls her eyes.

"My point is, you want the girl you need to prove it, being nice is a start but you need to apologize and then take steps to show her you have grown up and changed and want and deserve another shot. You also need to sit down and talk with your friends. You also need to realize that you deserve love and good things. You are a good guy Steven Hyde, you just don't let yourself see it. "

"I have a basic plan but how should I do that, o wise one?"

She starts to write and they are both exhausted but the fact that Ashley is sitting on his couch at two in the morning, helping him after he just told her how badly he screwed up gives him hope. So he tells her some of his ideas and she either tossed them out the window or fixes them up. It's close to five in the morning when she puts down her pencil and rubs her wrist.

She picks up some of the mess they made and she picks up Luna and smiles at him.

"Hey, Ashley thanks."

"I'm a sucker for happy endings."

She kisses his cheek and leaves.

He yawns, he has a shift at Grooves but he knows he won't make it. So he leaves a message for Leo and Eric and heads to bed.

He glances at the picture that he has of Jackie next to his bed, he actually felt like she was within reach.

"Love you doll."

Midnight jump onto the bed and he's exhausted but Jackie is in his head and is all he can think about. He can't sleep properly, tossing and turning all night, until his alarm goes off at six which is when he falls asleep. When he wakes up, the hangover he gets is the worst one, since Sam left.  
__________________________________________________________________________

He thinks back and he realizes that most day he has one beer unless he's out with his friends. Even with Ashley, its never more than three beers.

When did he cut back?

The others start to pick up on it too. They are all at the basement one night and Eric hands him a beer and he shakes his head.

I'm good Forman."

They all look at him in shock.

"I have to drive and I already had two."

"You could crash here man. Mom would love that."

He glances down at Midnight, sleeping on Jackie's lap. Midnight pretty much goes everywhere he goes and the puppy adores Jackie.

"I'm cutting back."

Donna rolls her eyes.

"First circle time and now beer? Are you sick? Dying? Did you hit your head falling off the Water Tower?"

He grits his teeth.

Donna had been getting on his nerves. He had pretty much laid off Jackie but Donna hadn't. She lets remarks slide out that makes everyone uncomfortable.

Jackie runs her hand through Midnight's fur and she smiles.

"I think it's great that Steven is cutting back."

His heart jumps at the sound of his name coming from her lips.

Donna frowns and she sneers and he wonders how he could he have ever liked her.

"Well as Steven's longtime friend, I'm just concerned about how he is changing who he is."

Its a dig at Jackie, who had not always been friends with Hyde and it hurts.

Kelso frowns and puts his beer down. He has noticed how cruel Donna has gotten, which bothered him and the change in his best friend, which makes him proud.

"Well as one of his best friends, I think if Hyde wants to cut back that's on him. It doesn't affect anyone of you so it's none of our business."

Eric nods in agreement and he doesn't even flinch at Donna's glare.

Africa had changed him, it made him more confident and more open to new experience. It brought him closer to Jackie and he was attempting a relationship with his sister.  
______________________________________________________

He looks over the list that morning and circles the one that he can get started on, apologizing, doing nice things for her, buying flowers for her.

He takes the day to relax and he's surprised when his phone rings. He picks it up.

"Steven?"

"Jackie?"

"Sorry, Eric said you didn't come in today, are you sick?"

"No, I had too much to drink last night and then I couldn't sleep."

"You have been working harder than usual. Eric says you are the last one out."

"Just needed a day to myself, think this might be the worst hangover ever."

"Do you need me to come over? I can bring you some food."

"Don't worry about it doll, I don't want to bother you, I know you have an important exam coming up."

"Steven I'm coming over. What's your address?"

He rattles it off to her and she hangs up. He quickly hides the list and the ring and sits on the sofa it's not long before he falls asleep with a smile on his face because she called him Steven and was worried about him.  
__________________________________________________________

He wakes up and finds Midnight asleep, he looks at her bowls only to realize that she had been fed and walked.

He finds food in his microwave and a note on the counter from Jackie.

Steven,

You were so tired you didn't hear me, so I might have picked the lock... you should get that fix. What if someone breaks in? But anyway I didn't want to wake you. I took Midnight out for a walk and left some food for you in the microwave and some in the refrigerator. I did some dishes and did some cleaning. Nice place you have, could use some more pink but I like it. Don't worry I won't tell Kitty that your apartment is fit for a party. I know you like to be alone but just know she is anxious to come over.

Please take care of yourself and drink safely, I know you said you were cutting back. I'm proud of you for doing so. So whatever is bothering you, don't let it be the reason you fall back. Get some sleep and take care. Don't worry, I will pick up the slack at Grooves, maybe I'll even find where you keep all the ABBA records in the store! See you.

Jackie  
______________________________________________

She signs her name with a heart over the I and he smiles.

The note goes into his Jackie box and he heads to the mall later that evening, he buys the newest Nancy Drew book.

Then he stops by a flower shop.

The next day he gets phone calls from his mother, Laurie, Brooke, Angie and even Donna thanking him for the flowers. Ashley finds flowers in her kitchen when she comes home for an eight-hour shift.

Jackie is the only one who gets the flowers in person. Seeing her eyes light up when he gives her the flowers and the fact that she threw her arms around him and kisses him on the cheek leaves him with a smile on his face that Eric can't help but tease him about.

He takes the teasing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wallflowers!
> 
> So excited to post this! Can't believe how fast I updated. Sadly, this won't last. Spring Break is over and I will be swamped with school and sorority stuff so updates may take longer. I'll try to update at least once a week (by Saturday, Sunday is the latest) but please understand if it takes longer. I hope it doesn't since I have several chapters started, they just need to be edited and a few chapters need to be finished and then edited! The next chapter might take longer because that one is only about 400 words right not (the one after that is like 2,500) but's that only because I needed something to bridge the weird gap I somehow created.
> 
> But I'm excited. I have no idea how this story that was supposed to a one shot of about 3,000 words has become a full fledged story with over 10,00 words and still counting. We are in for a long ride and I can't wait for you all to see what else I have in store for these two (in this story and in the other works I have coming up).
> 
> Love you Wallflowers! And thank you for the endless support
> 
> -Queen


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackie's POV of events

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Wallflowers! Sorry for the long wait.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own That 70s Show.
> 
> AN: I never have and never will watch the last season of the show so this is all based on things I read from the Wikipedia page or Tumblr.

Jackie isn't sure what to think when Steven Hyde decided to move out of the Forman's basement.

Truth be told she's not sure what to think about him anymore.

She doesn't want to think about him anymore.

It hurts too much to do so.  
________________________________________________

When he left her at the hotel, all she could feel was panic, there was ice in her veins and she couldn't breathe. Hearing that he never came back to the Forman's house made her heartbreak.

She spent all night wondering where he was and whose bed he was in.

Because she knew him. He was hurting so he was probably in someone else's bed.

But she wanted to be proven wrong. She wanted to believe that he loved her enough not to sleep with someone else. But then she remembers how he told her to have a good trip and the anger and hurt in his eyes when he saw Michael in a towel and she feels tears in her eyes and an ache in her heart.

The longer he was gone, the colder the ice in her veins became.

She couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. She sees the way Kitty and Red look at her, worry in their eyes. Worried about the small loud girl who was wasting away in front of their eyes.

She curls up in his cot, sobbing until she drifts off at night.

She was alone.

Then he came back and the ice melted.

Her heart was pounding when she laid eyes on him and she decided that she would forgive him even if he had been with someone else, because while she didn't sleep with Michael nor did she have any intention to, she had sought comfort from someone who always loved her in his own messed up way and someone who had once proposed to her. She had gone to Michael even though she knew he was the one person who made Steven Hyde insecure about them. She had gone to him to feel wanted and Kelso made her feel wanted, but she didn't want him. She wanted and needed Steven Hyde.

When he told her that he wasn't ready to marry her yet, her heart sang.

Yet meant someday.

She could work with that. She could deal with yet.  
_____________________________________________________________  
But the happiness was short-lived when she walked into the house.

She second she laid eyes on Sam, Jackie felt the ice in her veins again, her heart was pounding and she didn't know why.

When Sam announced she was Hyde's wife Jackie looked at Steven and for the brief second their eyes met, she knew it was true.

He couldn't marry her, but he could marry a stranger.

She couldn't breathe.

So she ran.

She ran all the way to her big empty house and thew up in her bathroom. She sat in her tub, water pouring down on her and didn't crawl out until she was shivering.

No one came to see her.

Not one of her friends came to see if she was okay, if she was alive.

No one.  
____________________________________________________  
But she was Jackie Burkhart.

So she put herself together, and days later, she drags herself into the basement.

The ice in her veins gives way to red hot anger when she sees Sam in her seat, on Steven's lap, the others acting like this was normal.

Truth be told, she preferred the red hot anger to the ice in her veins and with every cruel word that came out of Hyde's and Donna's mouth, it was ignited again and again.

She wrote her first letter to Eric the night of the dreaded sleepover, half drunk on tequila, half drunk on pain.

It wasn't really a letter as much as it was a small novel.

She tells Eric everything, from why she pressed Hyde into thinking about a future with her, to the hotel room with Kelso, to the hurt when she sees Sam in Hyde's lap to the pain in her heart when Donna had the sleepover.

To her surprise, Eric writes back.

So she sends him another letter, telling him about the married couple and Donna and Randy and how everything is falling apart. She tells him about her parents and about how she misses him. She tells him of how her parent hates how Steven is half black and how she found out her mom was using her trust fund to fund her trips and how she couldn't get that money until she was twenty-one or married. She tells him of her half brothers and how they offered to help her out but she's Jackie Burkhart and she doesn't want a handout.

They exchange letters back and forth and it helps. Every time she sees her name written in stickly Eric Forman writing the anger in her veins disappears briefly.

Her only friend is miles away but it helps. She feels the love and strength he is sending her.

She moves in with Fez because Red Forman found out that she was staying alone and he gave her a choice, move in with Fez or stay in his house with her ex and his stripper wife.

It wasn't a hard decision to make.

As things get worse she thinks about leaving, leaving it all behind and never coming back but then she thinks about the fact that she would have to give up writing letters to Eric and she can't do that. Eric Forman has become her lifeline.  
______________________________________________________________________  
She bumps into Laurie one day at a bar in Kenosha. Laurie asks her how she is and it all comes out, in choking a voice. Laurie takes pity on her and holds her hair back and she throws up. She isn't sure what to do with the girl who's relationship she ruined.

Jackie goes home the next day but she leaves a note with Eric's address on it.

Laurie doesn't hesitate to send a letter to her brother. It's time to mend fences.

When she finds out she's going to have a baby, she knows it's time to go home.

It's time to go home and fix things and Eric agrees with her.  
__________________________________________________________________  
Jackie can't explain the warmth in her blood that comes the moment Eric wraps her in his arms. She doesn't feel shame in breaking down in his arms because she's safe. Eric always has been someone she could trust. It's why she told him about her first pregnancy scare, why she kept writing to him as everything fell apart, Eric Forman had a way of making people feel safe.

She stays away for a month for two reasons, one being she is embarrassed about her breaking down in front of everyone and two she is taking college classes, and it's taking more time than she thought.

She loves school, one of the requirements of being a cheerleader was having a high GPA and Jackie was one of four girls who carried the team's GPA. Jackie gets thrilled everything she aces an exam. Her classes are simple- an art class, a business class, an English class, and then a stats class. But she throws herself into it.

Eric starts to work for Hyde and while she isn't thrilled she had to accept that Hyde is still Eric's brother so he will always be around. It hurts but she can't lose Eric.  
_______________________________________________________________________  
She spends the next two months looking for a job. She doesn't want to ask her ex for a job although she knows that he will give her one, especially if she gets Red involved but she hasn't sunk that low yet. She doesn't know if she can stand being close to Steven Hyde without fighting the urge to strangle him or kiss him. He has stopped burning her and has been a lot nicer but she's waiting for the shoe to drop. She can no longer trust her heart around him, the traitor thing picks up speed whenever he is around.

Her latest hunt had lead her to a diner, not her ideal work but she will gladly wait tables if it means being able to earn money. Anything would be preferable than the Cheese Maiden uniform she has been wearing again.

A part of her wanted to flaunt her old uniform in Steven's face just to see if she could fluster him (he admitted that the uniform had a place in his fantasies) but she didn't want him to know that she was back there working. Back when they started dating, Todd had made a comment about their kiss she had to distract Steven with a blowjob in the car to stop him from kicking Todd's ass. He told her that he didn't care how desperate she got for cash, he didn't want her to work for the little dillhole.

Well here she was, working for the dillhole, in desperate need of money so she can start her life again.

She is about to enter the diner when something catches her eye and she freezes when she sees her ex-boyfriend laughing with a waitress. Their body language suggests familiarity and comfort and she wonders if they are sleeping together. Not that she should care, she is over Steven Hyde.

Laurie had been telling her to go on a few dates, to build up her shattered confidence but it felt like it was too early, yet here he was passing his morning with some waitress.

She makes eye contact with the waitress and then Jackie turns away. She can't, won't apply for a job here. She climbs into her car and doesn't even realize she is sobbing until she has to pull over because she can't see.

She drives to the Formans and Laurie is in the kitchen laughing with Brooke, baby Besty playing next to them.

"I want to go on a date."  
___________________________________________________

Meanwhile, at the dinner, Ashley is aware of a girl outside the diner. She turns to Hyde.

"So Midnight has pretty much adopted your ex has her mother? That's cute! So how are you working out the custody arrangement?"

Hyde scowls at her.

"Shut your piehole, or should I ask the nice officer to shut it for you?" He gestures to the officer while batting his eyes and she hits him with her pad of paper.

'Shut up, I don't like him."

"Sure and I guess the feeling is mutual."

"It is!"

She turns to serve another order and he lays some cash down.

It's Friday and he's looking forward to seeing Jackie come in with lunch.

Jackie doesn't show.  
_______________________________________________________________

Eric finds Jackie asleep in the basement and he wakes her up.

"You didn't show for lunch."

She throws her arms around him needing reassurance and Eric automatically wraps an arm around her.

"It's okay devil, it's okay."

"I think he's dating again."

"Thought you didn't care."

"Why didn't he love me? Why didn't he fight for me?"

"I can't answer these questions, you need to ask him."

"I hate him Eric."

"No, you don't."

Jackie laughs bitterly,

"No I don't, I still love him. I asked Laurie easier to set me up on a date and the thought made me feel sick. He was married and now he's dating again and I feel like I'm cheating on him by going on one date."

Eric doesn't know what to say so he simply holds her tighter.

Hyde comes over for dinner, and while he knows that Jackie eats meals with Forman's on Fridays and he tries to give her space by not stopping by, he is worried because she didn't show up to Grooves.

The second Jackie sees him she starts to talk about how excited she is to go on a date again and what she should wear.

He doesn't notice how sad her eyes are. She doesn't know how much she is hurting him.

He goes to drink with Ashley and Jackie heads to the Forman's basement and curls up in Hyde's old cot and cries. Eric finds her later on and curls up behind her, feeling how thin she has gotten.

She joins them for breakfast and Kitty gives her extra bacon. Laurie exchanged looks with her brother who shrugs sadly. Laurie sets her up on a date.  
____________________________________________________

She goes on a date with a cute banker, who proceeds to talk over her and leer at her.

She goes out with a guy she meets at college, who flirts with the waitress in front of her.

The next guy orders her a salad.

One asks her if she still has her cheerleading uniform.

One buys her flowers and he gets a second date.  
_____________________________________________________

Jackie stops by with lunch and even though she doesn't want to make it obvious, Eric sighs.

"He's not here. He called in sick."

"Sick?"

Hyde doesn't get sick. He won't even admit to being sick.

"I think he's hungover."

"I thought he was cutting back?"

"You and I both know it doesn't take much for him to fall back into bad habits."

It bothers her, the fact that everyone has a hard time thinking that he is cutting back. She believes in him and there's nothing wrong with a little fun.

She knows she shouldn't but she goes to see him. She gets his address from a note on his desk and picks up some soup for him.

She picks the lock and he's fast asleep and her heart ache.

All she wants to do is kick off her heels and slid into bed with him, feel his arms around her and just rest her eyes knowing she is safe.

But she can't.  
_____________________________________________________  
She had to hightail it out of class to get to the store in time, as it not one of her usual visit days but she needed to see him. She wanted to make sure he was at work.

Her shoulders relax in relief when she sees him but she can't help but notices he is distracted.

He comes out with a bouquet of flowers and her heart stops.

Sunflowers.

He got her sunflowers.

*flashback*

They are on his cot, the blanket covering their bodies. He's sitting up and she's on laying on her stomach, legs kicikg up, moving the blanket higher na higher.

Sex and film make for a talkative Steven Hyde and it always makes Jackie smile.

He's sweet like this.

She steals the joint and blows circles into his face and his hand pulls the blanket away from her body, eyes roaming over her naked frame and his hands grab her ass, palming it.

"You're beautiful."

"I'm naked, pudding pop."

He laughs and smacks her ass lightly and she giggles. He lays down next to her, hand squeezing her ass and she looks down at him, his blue eyes are bright and he is smiling.

The room is dark but with Jackie around it's like having his own personal sun.

That makes him smile even bigger.

He is so in love with this girl and it scares him but right now, when it's just the two of them, it seems so simple, so easy.

"My sun."

He mutters as he runs a hand down her back, fingers light.

"What?"

"You're my personal sun. My little sunflower."

Jackie giggles.

"You're my pudding pop and I'm your sunflower?"

"Mi sol."

He grins as the Spanish tumbles out of his mouth, he knows from Spanish class that it turns her own.

He rolls over and lift himself up over her back and places a kiss on the back of her neck, he does push-ups on the cot pressing kisses down her spine until he reaches her ass.

My little sunflower."

He flips her over and she places the unlit joint on the dresser before her hands reach for his head and she pulls him up to her.

"Say it again."

"Mi sol."

She kisses him, moaning into his mouth and he settles in between her legs.

She doesn't know if he's playing a game but it gets to her. The sunflowers mock her from their spot on her dresser but she can't bear to throw them away.  
______________________________________________________

The next time the cute boy in her class ask her out she rejects him politely. She isn't over Steven Hyde yet and trying to get under someone else will only hurt her in the long run. She had tried the casual sex with Steven Hyde and look where that got her.

Heartbroken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Wallflowers! Sorry for the long wait! I have been busy writing finals papers and working on final projects. I have also been busy planning two sorority events (all for the same weekend/same week) so it's been a busy time. I needed to put all my focus on passing my classes and on my sorority position so writing took a back seat. But I'm back and done with all my classes and I promise to try to update more regularly, maybe one or twice a week?
> 
> I'm at a bit of a crossroads as to what happens next in regards to Jackie and Donna. I'm not sure if I want Jackie to rip into Donna or for her to forgive her for everything. So if you have any ideas as to what to do I would love to hear them, maybe it will make it easier for me to figure out what to do. (I know what direction I want to lean in but I'm curious to see what you all think.)
> 
> Edit: Hi everyone! I just started a job but I'm hoping to have the next chapter up by next Sunday (its all written out but needs to be updated.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone meets Ashley who can't keep her mouth shut.

He doesn't mean to but he doesn't tell anyone about Ashley. He doesn't want anyone to get the wrong impression about them. He doesn't want to have to deal with that conversation because it might get back to Jackie and he's tired of being burned for loving Jackie.

So he doesn't tell them about Ashley and Ashley never brings up meeting his friends.

But of course, fate had other plans.  
____________________________________________________

Jackie had kept her word and he had managed to keep everyone from visiting his place for three months saying that he was still unpacking and he even made sure to visit the Forman house enough times to keep Kitty from storming his place, that all came crashing down when everyone appeared on his doorstep with food.

He could tell that they had no plans for leaving and he hoped that Ashely would not stop by but of course that was not how it went.

Ashley came into his apartment, singing "Honey, I'm home", a case of beer in one hand, an opened bottle of wine in the other.

Everything fell apart. Kitty dropped a plate and Jackie dropped the record she had picked up and it shattered as it hit the ground.

Laurie looks murderous and Hyde's eyes are on Jackie who looks likes she was going to cry.

Ashley pauses and he can see the flush on her cheeks and she realizes the mess she created.

"I see I came at a bad time. Rain check, Steven Hyde?" He could tell something was wrong but his eyes were on Jackie. The others all exchanged looks and Kitty stepped forward, being a good host. Kitty was not overjoyed that the new woman in her son's life, and she needed information. She hurried to greet the woman with a hug.

"No I insist that you stay for dinner, I would love to meet the new woman in my Steven's life."

Ashley raised an eyebrow, and she looks uncomfortable.

"Ma'am thank you for the invitation but I'm not..."

"Stay for dinner," Kitty said firmly, already guiding her to the kitchen.

"Yes, ma'am."

Red shoved a broom into his hand.

"Pick up the glass before one of the girls steps on it." Hyde is still staring at everything in shock, how did everything go so wrong so fast?

Eric takes the broom from Hyde and gets to sweeping before his father can threaten him with a foot in the ass.

Ashley could see Hyde was looking at Jackie so she pulled him into a corner.

"Hyde? Should I leave?"

He looked at her shook his head.

The damage was already done.

"Of course not, look we are friends. I want you to meet my family. Plus Mrs. Forman's food is to die for."

He is aware that Jackie is staring at them before she excuses herself to the bathroom.  
___________________________________________________

Dinner was a disaster.

Ashley had been relaxed, unaware of the interrogation heading her way but Hyde senses the tension in the air.

It had started off with Kitty asking how they knew each other and she had made a soft hum when she realized that the girl was the landlord.

Eric had asked some basic questions, Fez asked about her hair routine but Kelso asked how long she and Hyde had been doing it.

That was when Hyde notices that Jackie is gripping her fork tightly and that everyone seemed to be waiting for an answer.

Ashley raised an eyebrow. She knew exactly what the question was asking but curious to see how far she could push the issue.

"Doing what? Hyde and I do a lot of things, it's what friends do."

Kitty snorted and Laurie rolled her eyes.

"How long have you been having sex?"

Kitty raises a hand to her heart and Jackie's knuckles are turning white.

Ashley burst into laughter.

"Hyde and I are not having sex. We are good friends, I got my eye on someone and Hyde is head over heels with he ex-girlfriend. He's going to win her back."

Jackie dropped her fork and Laurie snorted. Hyde didn't know what to do, why was she spilling everything out of her big fat cheerleading mouth?

(She had not realized that Jackie was his ex because Eric had stuck close to Jackie's side the entire night and Hyde had never told her his ex's name until the night they were super drunk and even then all she remembers is him calling her his doll.)

Laurie grinned wickedly. She loves a good burn.

"Oh really?"

"Hyde never shuts about her. He's got a ring hidden in one of the drawers and he's working on a plan to get her back. I told him he needs to grovel. It would take some serious groveling to forgive what he did. I can't even imagine the hurt the girl feels. Of course, Hyde feels bad so I'm kinda rooting he gets the girl. She's a lucky girl, the ring is gorgeous."

Hyde groans.

Everyone grew quiet and Jackie was pale.

"What ring?"

Hyde is frozen as Ashley giggles, cocking her head and smiling at Jackie, unaware of the bombshell she dropped. Eric, however, sees something in her eyes that makes him wonder if she knows exactly what she is doing.

"The ring he got his ex before she left to... where did she go? California? Cinnaitti? Chicago? One of the C's. Anyway, he got her a ring. It's really pretty too. Princess cut. Has an engraving inside. My.. what was it? Sol. Soul? Sun?"

Jackie looked at Hyde, with eyes full of tears.

"You got me a ring?"

Ashley freezes.

"Oops."

Eric is grimacing as Jackie stands up from the table slowly, his hand curls up against the fist she made. Laurie is eating, Kelso and Fez are quiet, heads following them both. Donna is annoyed and Kitty and Red are quiet.

Hyde signs and reaches for a bottle of water and hands it to Ashley.

"Drink. "

Then he turns to look at Jackie, her eyes are big, shiny with tears and he wants to wrap his arms around her but he knows she won't let him.

So he shrugs, hands in his pockets, thinking about the ring he got.

"You gave me an ultimatum doll. It wasn't a hard choice."

He thought the news that he wanted to marry her would make her happy, or at least lead to a conversation.

Instead, she looks at him, a tear sliding down her cheek and then she let out a sob and takes off, wrenching open the door and he's frozen again. He wants to chase after her but the pain in her eyes killed him, it roots him to his seat.

He had really hurt her, broken her in a way that her parents, Kelso, and Donna never did.

He slumps his shoulders and Donna stands up.

"I'll talk to her."

Fez frowns at Donna not liking that the redhead was going to his goddess and Eric stood up.

"No, I will."

Donna shoots them a glare.

"I think she would rather have a girl talk with her best friend."

Eric wants to yell that they aren't best friends but Donna is already gone and he sighs. Kitty laughs awkwardly.

Hyde turns to look at Ashley who is sitting at the counter, a bottle of water unopen.

"Fuck, I messed up Hyde. I'm sorry, I didn't know. I didn't know." She is crying and he sighs, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, Ash, it's fine. I mean I never told you her name or showed you a picture of her besides the one in my room from when we were kids.

"I should have kept my big fat cheerleader mouth shut."

"Don't worry about it, I mean I was going to have to tell her eventually."

Ashley pushes him away and slides off the counter and wobbling, she brushes his hands way.

"I'm sorry for ruining dinner. I'm going to head to my apartment now."

He watches her stumble off to her apartment and debated whether or not to help her out but he knows he has to do some damage control.

He will check on her later, once he gets everyone out of his apartment, and tries to salvage something with Jackie.  
______________________________________________________

Ashley wanders down the stairs when she hears arguing so she follows the source of yelling. As a landlord, it's her responsibility to check up on her tenants.

She finds Jackie and Donna arguing on the hood of Hyde's car. Jackie is perched on the hood and Donna is standing. She notes how calm Jackie appears to be as opposed to Donna who is gesturing angrily.

She can't help but listen in on their conversation and the conversation makes her blood boil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry that it's been forever.
> 
> I thought I would have more time to write but I been busy with sorority stuff and I just started a new job so I have been everywhere.
> 
> So good news: I have the rest of the story planned, out, the epilogue is done and I would say we have maybe four-six more chapters, depending on if I combine any of them.
> 
> Bad news, the next two chapters are not written out, at all. I have maybe 200 words and that's it. So it's going to take me a while.
> 
> I have also lost some of my motivation but I'm sure I can and will get it back!
> 
> My goal is to have this all done by my birthday (in August), so you can look foward to that. I also have some short one-shots that I'm working on, so keep an eye out for them
> 
> Love you Wallflowers!
> 
> -Queen


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donna has some things to say to Jackie as does Ashley. Jackie lets something slip.

Ashley wanders down the stairs when she hears arguing so she follows the source of yelling. As a landlord, it's her responsibility to check up on her tenants.

She finds Jackie and Donna arguing on the hood of Hyde's car. Jackie is perched on the hood and Donna is standing. She notes how calm Jackie appears to be as opposed to Donna who is gesturing angrily.[

_She can't help but listen in on their conversation and the conversation makes her blood boil._

* * *

Donna rushes down the stairs annoyed, several thoughts in her head.

_Why had she volunteered?_

_How is Jackie so fast on such small feet?_

Jackie had a ten-second head start but she had the longer legs, it didn't make sense.

_Who was this Ashley girl?_

"Jackie!"

"Go away, Donna!"

Donna rolls her eyes at the childish retort.

She finds Jackie standing next to Hyde's car, one hand on the hood. She's hunched over crying.

Donna rolls her eyes again and crosses her arms over her chest.

"Seriously Jackie? This is pathetic. Crying over a guy who cheated on you? How much lower can you sink?"

"Shut up Donna" 

"No seriously Jackie, you are pathetic, are you seriously crying over Hyde? He married a stripper." 

Jackie's hands curl up into fists and she turns around angrily.

"Shut up."

Donna stalks forward, backing her up against the car. Jackie places her hand on the hood behind her and pushes herself up, trying to give herself some space from Doona but the redhead loomed closer. 

"No Jackie. You shut up. You need to grow up. Hyde married someone else, he married Sam and instead of supporting him as his friend you instead you treat Sam like crap. I understand he broke your heart but you acted like an overgrown child. You couldn't even pretend to get along with Sam and make this whole thing easier on anyone. Oh no, that not the Jackie Burkhart way. You wanted us to pity you. That's pathetic. Hyde didn't want to marry you, why would he? He didn't want to marry you all those other times you put pressure and then he caught you and Kelso in that damm room. Why did you expect him to take you back after that? I know you can be a bit of an airhead but I thought that the fact that you were no longer a cheerleader you would be smarter. But then again, we all know boys weren't into you for your brains. Nah, they were all into you because they figured that since you ran with Kelso, you would give them a run too. And you liked that, you liked the attention they gave you. Typical Jackie, all the attention has to be on you. Hyde moved on again and instead of being his friend and supporting him, you had to make a big scene and run out. Come find me when you are ready to grow up."

Donna spun on her heels and stomps off, before Jackie can say anything, not that she can as she was frozen in shock.

 

* * *

 

Ashley gave Donna's back a glare, blood boiling, she wanted nothing more than to grab Donna's hair and pull, hard, but all that disappeared when she caught sight of Jackie crying on Hyde's car.

The small girl was bent over and she felt a wave of protectiveness for the girl her neighbor and friend was in love with.

"Your friend is a bitch."

Jackie turns around to find the girl from Steven's apartment- Ashley- she reminds herself, leaning on the railing.

"Excuse me?"

"Sweetheart she called you attention-seeking and pretty much implied you are a slut. She also said you were an airhead for being a cheerleader? Which is dumb because last time I check cheerleaders need to keep their grades up to stay on the squad."

Jackie glares at the girl.

"You don't know me, you don't know Donna."

Ashley shrugs and makes her way down the stairs and leans against the car hood and turned her head to look at Jackie.

"I know she's not a real friend. A real friend wouldn't say such horrible things. A real friend would support you. A real friend wouldn't attempt to seduce your boyfriend."

Jackie's eyes widen and her hand form fists, nails digging into her palms.

"I don't believe you."

Her voice was shaking, unsure and Ashley sighed and rested her hands on the hood of the car, not looking at Jackie.

"Ask Hyde. He told me all about it. She tried to do it twice, the first times with Sam the stripper left, the second was a few weeks ago when you got the flowers. Apparently, she wanted to thank him personally for the yellow roses."

"Donna wouldn't do that to me. She's my..."

"She's a lot of things but she's not your friend. As I said, a friend wouldn't say such horrible things nor would they pick a homewrecking stripper over their friend. "

"Donna's been my best friend for two years."

Jackie could hear the question, the uncertainty, in her voice, she needed the reassurance that she and Donna were friends, that Donna wouldn't betray her like that.

Ashley shook her head and turns to face Jackie, one leg curled up underneath her.

"Let me clear something up, Hyde and me? Not a thing. As I said, the boy's too busy trying to get you back to even look at me and I already have a man in my life I don't need another one. Also, Donna is a lot of things but she's not your friend. I'm not denying that Donna was your friend but right now, she's a shitty one and you need someone in your corner, not someone who is going to call you pathetic for still loving the boy who broke your heart."

"I don't love him."

Jackie bit her lip, and Ashley tilts her head and gave her a sad smile.

"If you didn't love him, then why does it bother you to know that Donna tried to sleep with him. Why does it bother you to see him moving on? You can hate it, you can deny it but the heart wants what it wants. And your heart wants Steven Hyde."

"I don't love him, and even if I did, it doesn't matter, I'm leaving soon."

Ashley's eyes widen at the information and she opens her mouth but Jackie slams her hands on the hood, realizing that she may have given too much information.

"What I want is for you to leave me alone."

Ashley pushes herself off the car hood and holds out her hands, not wanting to anger the smaller girl.

"Fair enough, I'll walk away but tell me this, did you ever wonder if Donna and Kelso hooked up while in California? I mean they were both single and from what I heard Kelso flirted with everything and Donna was "heartbroken". "

* * *

And with that, she climbs up the stairs and went to her apartment.

Ashley decided to wait until everyone was gone before she spoke to Hyde.

Hearing what Donna had said to Jackie made her blood boil.

From what Hyde had told her Jackie didn't have too many people she could trust in her life and Donna was supposed to be her best friend.

_What kind of best friend tries to snake her boyfriend and calls her slut?_

_How could Jackie not see that Donna wasn't being a good friend?_

_And was Jackie seriously leaving town?_

* * *

Jackie watches the older girl leave before she buries her face into her hands again, letting the tears flow down freely.

During Donna's ran she ad so much she wanted to say but she could not move her mouth, she just froze at the malice in the redhead's voice.

She knew that they weren't particularly close anymore but to hear what Doona thought of her, it hurt her a lot.

And then Ashley didn't help matters, she had put all these thoughts in her head.

She didn't want to know about Steven Hyde still loving her because the idea made it harder for her to move on.

She didn't want to still be in love with Steven Hyde but she was.

She didn't want to think about the possibility of Donna and Michael.

She didn't want to think about Donna flirting with Steven and what he had done.

She just wants to curl up in bed and sleep.

A light touch on her arm makes her jump.

She looks over to see Eric.

"Hey, devil."

He wraps an arm around and she curls up closer to him.

He doesn't say anything and she's thankful for that. She already has too many thoughts and voices in her head, she doesn't need anymore.

They don't talk until the others come out.

Kelso and Fez take off in the van and the Formans pile into the Vista Cruiser.

Kitty opens her mouth but Red placed a hand on her shoulder and he shakes his head and she concedes.

The drive home is silent and Jackie ends up between Laurie and Eric.

Eric has his arm around her and Laurie has her hand and as Jackie sits in the car with them she wonders how did she and Steven Hyde get so lucky to have the Formans in their lives.

She might not have Steven Hyde in her life but she does have a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi sorry it took so long! This chapter (Donna and Jackie) gave me a really hard time. Not 100% in love with chapter but I wanted to put something up before I started school in 2 weeks. Let me know what you think.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner is a disaster. Ashley and Hyde talk. Hyde makes another decision.

Dinner was a disaster.

A complete utter disaster.

After Jackie, Donna, and Ashley had left, Kitty let out a nervous giggle, Red muttered "dumbass" in his direction, and Fez and Kelso almost broke the table, fighting over the last piece of bread.

They ate dinner mostly in silence, as no one really responded to Kitty's questions and the woman eventually grew quiet.

He tried to ignore the looks Eric and Laurie gave him as he thought about what had happened earlier.

He couldn't get the hurt and shocked look in her eyes as they met his before she ran, out of his mind.

All he could see were her pretty eyes welling up with hurt he had put there, hurt he had caused her.

And the fact that she had been shocked to know he wanted to propose to her.

Did she not know why he had gone to the motel room?

Did she not know that he was crazy in love with her?

Did she really not know how much she meant to him?

He was going to make the ultimate commitment only to turn and run without bothering to give her the benefit of the doubt.

* * *

Donna came back in, eyes blazing and she grabbed her jacket, throwing Hyde and Eric a glare.

"Your ex is a bitch."

Then she stormed out.

Eric sighed and then walked out after her and he doesn't come back for the rest of the dinner.

Laurie excused herself to the washroom and everyone seemed to take that as a sign of dinner being over.

Red yelled as Fez and Kelso as they sit on the couch and Hyde headed to his room to take a few deep calming, zen, breaths.

His hands opened the drawer and he pulled out a ring box.

Flipping it open, he stares at the ring that would fit perfectly on the small fingers of his doll.

He sits on the bed, and simply stares at the ring.

There is no one else in the world that he can see himself reaching this milestone with.

Jackie is it for him.

She's the one.

And he lost her.

All because he can't tell her how he feels, how important she is, all because he can't let her all the way in.

* * *

When he leaves his bedroom, Eric is still gone.

Red is glaring at Kelso and Fez as they argue over something, and Kitty and Laurie are in the kitchen finishing up on washing the dishes.

Kitty gave a little giggle when she saw him.

"Steven, we were just leaving."

He hugs them all goodbye and sinks down onto the couch when they leave, an open case of beer in front of him.

He can't stop thinking about the look in Jackie's eyes when Ashley opened her big mouth.

* * *

That's how Ashley finds him when she knocks on his door an hour later.

"It's open."

"You shouldn't leave it open, I could be a murderer."

She teases him but her sparkling eyes dimmed when she saw that he hadn't cracked a smile and when she sees the pack of beer, its been open and one beer is missing but it's in front of him, unopened.

It makes her proud, a few months ago the entire case would have been gone, but now this is a victory.

Steven Hyde had changed.

She sat down on the couch and curled her legs under her.

She watches him stare at the bottle, fighting with himself.

"So Donna's a bitch. She said some things to Jackie that got my blood boiling, never have I ever wanted to punch someone so much before in my life."

He tenses thining of Doona and Jackie fighting.

Donna had a way of hitting at Jackie's weak points and she was physically stronger than Jackie.

Just the thought of Donna hurting Jackie hurt him.

"What did she say?"

Ashley shook her head.

"Nothing worth repeating."

"Ashley."

"I mean it, this is something that Jackie has to deal with it. Jackie's a big girl she can handle Donna. You can't protect her from everything and everyone or fight all her battles."

She poked his leg with her toes and he sighed squeezing her ankle.

"I spoke to Jackie afterward."

Hyde groaned.

"Ashley!"

"Hyde..."

He turned to look at her, hearing the seriousness in her voice and his hand tightened around her ankle.

"Jackie said something about leaving."

It took him a few seconds for it to sink in.  
__

_Jackie was leaving._

_She was leaving Point Place._

_She was leaving him._

_He had lost her._

_He had lost her for good._

_He had lost his doll._

_He had lost the woman he loved._

_He had lost the woman he wanted to marry._  
_  
He would have continued spiraling downward if it weren't for Ashley._

__"Hyde. Hyde. Hyde!"_ _

__He looked at her._ _

__"What?"_ _

__"You are hurting me."_ _

__He looked down to see that his fingers were squeezing her ankle and he let go immediately._ _

__He could already see the bruises and felt a stab of guilt._ _

__"I'm so sorry Ashly."_ _

__She gave him a smile._ _

__"Not the first time a guy left me with bruises."_ _

__He opens his mouth to question her but she shakes her head and he takes the hint._ _

__"So what now? I mean she's leaving. There is nothing I can do to stop her, I'm the last person that can stop her. And honestly, I don't blame her for leaving, I messed her up so bad."_ _

__Ashley sighed and crawled over to wrap her arms around him and she pressed a kiss to his head before she drew back and smacked the back of his head._ _

__"Ow."_ _

__"Listen to me, Steven Hyde. You and I did not spend an entire night making a plan for you to give up now. Talk to her."_ _

__"She doesn't want to talk to me."_ _

__"If she didn't want to talk to you, she would be hanging around the record store, she wouldn't have come over for dinner, she would have taken care of your sick self. Talk to her, Hyde. Make her talk to you, make her listen."_ _

__Her voice had softened towards the end of her little rant._ _

__He turned to look at her._ _

__"What if it's not enough."_ _

__Ashley ran a hand through her hair._ _

__"Then it's not enough but at least you tried. You are trying, you have cut back on the smoking and the drinking, you moved into this apartment on your own, you work, and you have been tyring. You talk to her, you tell her everything. regardless of how it goes, it will be out there. Either she tells you to get lost or she forgives you."_ _

__"Do you think... "_ _

__Ashley thinks about the look in Jackie's eyes when she spilled the news about the ring and then later on the car hood when she spoke to her._ _

__"I can't answer that. But Hyde, she didn't sound sure about leaving. "_ _

__They sit in silence until Ashley feels herself getting tired._ _

__"Want me to stay?"_ _

__He shook his head._ _

__"I think, I think I need to be alone right now."_ _

__Ashley nods and presses a soft kiss to his cheek._ _

* * *

He locks the door behind her and he knows he should sleep.

He eyes the case of beer but instead, he picks it up and places it under the sink.

He's not the same person he was a few months ago, he's changed.

So instead of drinking his problems away or sleeping, he grabs the plan that he and Ashley had spent six hours writing. He scans the plan and he grabs another sheet of paper and begins to write.

He writes down all the mistakes and issues he and Jackie had, he writes down what he needs to say, or at least what should be covered during their talk.

If he is going to talk to Jackie, he only has one chance to get it all out, to get it right.

He doesn't realize how much time has passed until he yawns and looks out the window and sees the sunrise.

He groans and lays down on the couch, closing his eyes.

When Ashley checks up on him before her work shift, he's spread out on the couch, speech in one hand.

She throws a blanket over him and calls the record shop.

She leaves him a plate of breakfast and a note.

* * *

Hyde wakes up to find a blanket over him and the speech in his hand.

The first he does after he eats and showers is drive to visit the florist.

He asks for them to send some sunflowers mixes with red carnations to Jackie. He sends it to the Formans knowing that Kitty will make sure she gets it.

Then he calls Kitty asking her for the recipe for Jackie's favorite chocolate chip cookies, which he makes, with Mrs. Forman's special ingredient- love.

As he waits for them to bake, he goes over the speech he made, crossing things out and adding things in.

He only had one shot to get it all right.

He sits on his couch after the cookies are done, trying to get the courage to see her and when he does leave, Ashley waves to him from her door.

"Good luck Steven Hyde."

She whispers it as he drives away.

Her hand finds her necklace where a ring sits.

* * *

He finds himself outside Fez's apartment sitting there for about ten minutes.

He's nervous, nervous in a way he has never ebene before because this might be his last chance.

And that is a sobering thought.

Then he's angry because how on earth did little Jackie Burkhart get so deep into his skin that he's even considering marriage with her?

How did she go from the girl who drove him insane to the girl he couldn't live without?

And it was that anger in his veins that gets him out of the car and pounding on her door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> Sorry that this update is so late! I'm an idiot who accidentally deleted my one and only copy of this fic on ff.net so here's my attempt at trying to recreate it. Not too happy but I wanted to get an update in before things got crazier. The next chapter should make up for this. 
> 
> The good news is that the next chapter is written out but it just needs to be edited. The last chapter is also done but it's the chapters in between that need to worked on or written out.  
> The bad news, I started my senior year of college, I have recruitment and a wedding coming up, so if I do manage to update it will be a miracle. I will try my best but we will see.  
> Thanks for all the kudos, comments, etc. They mean the world to me.  
> Love you  
> -Queen


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Jackie talk

When she heard a knock on the door, Jackie had a brief moment of panic, it was familiar. She didn't want to deal with him yelling at her in her house but he kept knocking and she sighed.

It was best to get this over with it.

This was something that needed to happen.

But she had wanted it to happen on her own terms.

She opened the door anyway.

'Steven go away."

He blinked because he didn't expect his name to come out on her lips but also because he was wearing jeans and his shirt.

"Jackie get your coat, we are going out."

She rolled her eyes.

"Good night Steven."

He pushed past her and looked into her eyes, after he removed his sunglasses.

"Coat Jackie. We need to talk and I rather do it somewhere you can't throw stuff at me."

She crossed her arms and he's aware that she doesn't have a bra under his shirt and that thought drives him wild.

So he picks her up and throws her over his shoulder.

Jackie hits his back but he ignores her.

He places her down but held the door open for her.

"After you dear."

She thought about making a run for it but figured that she wouldn't make it.

So she sighed and got into the car.

* * *

He drives them to their spot, the place where they had their first date.

He grabbed the basket he packed and went to her side of the door but she opened it herself and frowned at him.

He smiled slightly and then gestured to the hood.

He placed the basket on the hood and picked her up, placing her on the hood.

"I could have done it myself, St-Hyde."

He climbed up next to her and handed her a burger.

"Got you something shiny. Eat Doll."

She frowned at him again but shrugged and started to eat her burger, she's not going to complain about free food.

* * *

They eat in silence and her hands fiddled with the shiny wrapper, remembering the first time he got her something shiny.

Where did they go so wrong?

Was it when she yelled "get off my boyfriend?" or when he cheated on her. When he married Sam? When she gave him an ultimatum? Or was it when he took her to prom? When she spent the summer kissing him when Michael and Donna were in California.

"What's on your mind Doll? Normally you would be flapping your pie hole and I'm surprised you haven't shoved me off the hood yet."

He regretted the words as soon as he opened his mouth.

But her silence was driving him mad.

She turned to him and she couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face knowing that she was getting to him. But then it disappeared and then she turned away not wanting to stare into his eyes.

"Trying to figure out where we went wrong. Annette and Michael? Sam? The nurse? Or at prom."

She shivered, wishing that she had brought a jacket. The cold air, her lack of bra, and the pain in her heart were not a good combination.

This was a mistake.

She needed to go home.

She couldn't do this.

* * *

He could see the panic cross her face and he saw her shiver.

He knew she was regretting coming with him and he needed to do something before she asked him to take her home.

He removed his jacket, draping it over her shoulders.

She stilled and then pulled it closer and laid her arms into the sleeves. She realized it was the same jacket he let her wear on thier first date on Veteran's Day and she felt this pang hit her heart.

"I want to say that I went wrong with the nurse but my biggest regret was the 's when it all went wrong, it all fell apart. I should have talked to you, listened to you, instead of driving away, I should have given you the damm ring instead of driving away."

"You brought me a ring?"

She is stunned.

She didn't really believe Ashley when she had said it but it was different hearing Steven say it.

She looked at him and she saw the pain and regret in his eyes.

"Of course I brought you a ring. You drove me crazy. Still do. Yet I wanted to spend the rest of my life with your type of crazy."

Jackie can feel tears in the corners of her eyes.

She licked her lips as she felt him stare at her.

"Why did you stay with her?"

He ran a hand through his hair. He had been expecting the question but it didn't mean that it bothered him.

"Because it was easier, if I was with her I wasn't messing up your life. God, Doll you can do so much better than the orphan living in a basement. I figured if I stayed with her that you would move on, find your prince charming. I saw your face when Sam came through that door, and I hate myself for putting that pain in your eyes. I nearly drank myself to death that night. I figured I'll let Sam stay because it would keep you away, I hurt you so badly and I couldn't do that anymore."

"Steve I never saw you as my prince charming, you have always been my knight. My mother married for money and it didn't work out. I stayed with Michael because I wanted to belong. I know I talk about how important money is but the truth is Steven, I would choose love over money and I would choose being alone with you and being without you. You taught me that money won't bring me happiness, security yes, but happiness no. Being with you made me happy. It made me feel safe."

"Jackie."

"No Steven. Let me finish, I told you this on our first date, you are worthy of love, you deserve it. If I could go back, I would have never gone back to Michael. I would have kissed you at prom, told you the truth at the Veteran's Day party. Mrs. Forman once told me I had to pick my battles. You and me, that's a battle worth fighting for. It's a battle I want to always fight. Red told me that at the end of the day it comes down to a choice. My mother chose to sleep around. Midge chooses to leave. Eric chose to go to Africa. Michael chose to be an active father. Laurie chose to marry Fez. She chose to come back. And I chose to be with you. There are so many guys out there, but I chose you and I will always choose you."

It slips out and they both freeze.

Jackie is panicking, she didn't mean to tell him that. She didn't want him to know how much he still affected her. How a part of her did love him still.

Steven Hyde has no clue how a girl who weighs barely a hundred pounds can knock the breath out of him but Jackie has always done the impossible.

"You still chose me after Sam and everything?"

He says it softly, afraid to scare her away. All the anger he felt earlier was gone replaced with something that one could refer to as hope.

She bites her lip, she needs to phrase it carefully, not giving away too much.

"I would still choose you, Steven."

He opens his mouth but she holds up a hand.

"But, I'm angry and I'm hurt. But Steven, I want you in my life, I don't know how that will work out but I want things to go slow."

He lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in.

He can work with that.

Jackie looks at him and she watches the smile spread on his face.

It's beautiful.

* * *

He opens up the picnic basket and pulls out something wrapped in pink and hands it to Jackie.

She looks at him for a second before she peels the paper away.

One hand flies up to her mouth and the other trembles as she holds the picture frame.

It's her and Steven as kids. Steven is on one knee in front of her.

She didn't even know that such a picture existed.

" Mrs. Forman found it. Thought you would like it."

He scratches the back of his head as Jackie simply looks at the picture.

She wants to cry.

Things were simple then.

She remembers having a crush on him.

He was protective and while not liking her, he was kind to her.

When he married her that day, she was really happy.

But then two weeks later things didn't work out.

"Why did you stop talking to me afterward?"

Out of the things he expected her to say it wasn't that.

"There were a lot of reasons. Donna and Kelso were running their mouths. Some kids at school were starting stuff and I figured you would be better off without me. You moved on."

Jackie doesn't tell him how much it hurt her when he cut her off.

How much she hated school because of him.

How his rejection of her made her colder, made her want to make sure no one would ever reject her again.

Not that it worked.

Michael and Steven had both cheated and her mother left her for the flavor of the month.

But she wasn't alone.

She had Eric, filling the role of the brother she didn't know what she wanted. She had the Formans who were the parents she wanted. But they couldn't fill the void in her heart, the feeling of wanting someone.

She wanted someone who looked at her the way Eric looked at Donna or the way Red looks at Kitty.

She wants love.

She looks down at the picture and closes her eyes.

She can see Steven, smiling down at her as they dance.

She can see him looking at her as she does her cheerleading routine for him.

She can feel the way his fingers brush her skin as he kisses her.

* * *

Hyde had no clue as to what Jackie was thinking about now, but he watches a tear slide down her cheeks.

"Do you, did you ever love me?"

Her eyes meet his and his heart broke.

How much of an asshole was he, that she doubted his love for her?

"I love you, Jackie, I love you now, I love you then. I brought you a ring because even though the idea of marriage terrifies me, the idea doesn't sound so bad with you. I always saw marriage like a prison, both keep you stuck. But Jackie's there's no one else I would do to prison for, no one else I would want to be stuck with. Sam, she is the biggest mistake I ever made. She is the one thing I can never forgive myself for. I stayed with her because I figured you would move on eventually but the truth is Jackie, the idea of you in someone else's arms kills me. It hurts. I don't deserve you Jackie Beluah Burkhart but man do I love you."

He knows that if anyone heard him they would make fun of him, but that's what loves does to you. It changes you, it makes you better.

He doesn't deserve Jackie but he wants to change, be someone worthy of being in her life.

* * *

Jackie feels a weight lift off her shoulders.

She turns to him and her hand reaches for his face and she leans in slowly and kisses him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry that it took me forever. I hit a bit of a roadblock with this chapter so I scrapped what I had and started over and I'm much happier with the result.
> 
> Let me know what you think of this.
> 
> I believe we have maybe 4-6 more chapters before we are done with this.
> 
> -Queen


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashley and Jackie talk.  
> Jackie has some thinking to do.

Jackie wakes up to the sound of Steven snoring softly, his arms wrapped around her, fingers intertwined with hers.

She is tucked into his side and for a second it's like they are back in the basement.

Then she opens her eyes and sees the room and she realizes where she's at and who she's with.

And that's when the panic sets in.

After their kiss, she had pulled away and had told him to take her home.

They drive in silence and just before he turned onto the street that would take him to her apartment she to him that she meant his home.

He had given her a long look and she had nodded and with that, he had driven them to his apartment.

Once they got his apartment, she had led him into his room and they had simply curled up under the blankets.  
There was still so much they had to talk about and so much they had to still had to say but all Jackie wanted to do was sleep in his arms.

But she's awake now and all the pain he had caused her is rushing back.

She doesn't want to go through this again.

She slips out of bed and slid into her jeans.

* * *

Jackie closes the door and rushes down the stairs but then she pauses, as she realizes has no ride home.

She decides to walk it and hurries back down but then freezes when she comes face to face with Ashley.

She eyes her and then gestures to her apartment.

"Hungry? I'm making breakfast."

Jackie hesitates.

"I'll drive you home afterward."

Jackie wants to say no but she curious about who this girl is. She had seen them laughing at the diner and then again in his apartment and after the conversation, she had with Ashley about Donna, she is curious to hear what else the older girl will have to say.

* * *

The two girls sit on opposite sides of Ashley's kitchen table.

Ashley makes omelets and bacon and Jackie nibbles on a piece as she looks at Ashley.

The girl is pretty and Jackie wonders if Steven had slept with her.

He said she hadn't but Ashley is really pretty.

"You know we haven't slept together."

Jackie's face heats up and wonders if she really is that transparent.

"Steven mentioned that."

"But you don't believe him."

Jackie taps her finger on the table.

"I want to..."

"But he hurt you pretty badly."

"He told you?"

Ashley nods, hands curling around her mug.

"He seemed lonely and I offered him the apartment. I figured he could use a friend, I know I do. He talks a lot about you."

Jackie cups her mug and sighs.

"He brought me a ring but he couldn't see a future with me."

She laughs bitterly.

Ashley is quiet, thinking before she speaks.

"All his life he has dealt with things being taken away from him, people leaving him without a word. "

"I'm not his mother, I would never leave him like that!"

Ashley raises an eyebrow and Jackie flushes realizing that she had left his bed that morning without even leaving a note.

"I'm not here to tell you to take him back, that's your decision. But I'm here to tell you that if you want to take him back, you have to work hard too. He's made mistakes but so have you."

Jackie takes a sip of her coffee and sighs.

"I'm scared. I love him but he hurt me. He was the one person who I never thought would hurt me but he did."

* * *

Ashley is quiet, playing with the ring on her necklace, thinking.

"I was in love with a boy once. He drove me up the wall but wow did I love him. I wanted to marry him but he didn't believe in marriage. So we broke up. I went to college and met this guy, he was nice. He brought me flowers and brought me dinner at the fancy restaurants and when he asked me to marry him I said yes. But I always thought I would be more excited to get married you know. I'm trying on my wedding dress and it's my dream dress but it doesn't feel right. I buy it anyway. I go home to find my fiance angry but Ben left me a message about how he needed to talk to me that he was on his way and that he loved me. Me and Adam, we had a huge fight, to be fair, we fight a lot, but this was the worse one. Adam leaves and I'm so mad I call Ben back and tell him to leave me alone. I get drunk and a few days later I find out that Adam slept with my sister. I canceled my wedding and my parents revolted, Adam's from a good family-money and everything. I pack up his things up and kick him out and that same day I get a call from the cops. Ben was in a car accident, a drunk driver hit him as he was on his way to see me and he died on the way to the hospital. They gave me a box of letters he wrote to me."

Ashley's crying and Jackie looks at her wide-eyed and Ashley closes her hand over the ring.

"There was a ring in the box. He hit a low point after our break up and then he heard I was dating again and decided to get back up and do better. He wanted to apologize to me and then he died. He loved me but he didn't think he deserved me, not after everything he put me through. Later I find out that everything he ever owned was mine, he didn't have a family, his parents died, so all his money, his car, it's all mine. So I came because my grandfather is the only person I whole world understood why I wouldn't marry Adam. I love Ben, I loved him more than I loved Adam. Ben changed to be a man worthy of me and I had changed into a better person because of him. If he was alive, I would have given him another chance in a heartbeat."

Ashey stands up and picks up her plate and places it in the sink. She turns to look at Jackie, a sad smile her face, as her fingers creep up to her necklace again.

"I'm not telling you to love him or to take him back, or to marry him. I'm just staying you have another chance. The way he talks about you, I know the look on the face. Take that chance or not, it's up to you. But the Steven Hyde I talk to, he's a good man. He's not perfect, the perfect man doesn't exist."

* * *

Ashley drives her home in silence and Jackie can't help but think about her relationship with Steven.

He had helped her change for the better, the idea of him dying cut her right to the bone. She couldn't imagine going through what Ashle had gone through.

But while she loved Steven, should she give him a second chance?

Can she risk her heart again?

She stands in her room and looks at herself in the mirror in Steven's shirt.

Suddenly its too much, it feels like the walls are closing in on her and she needs to leave.

Now.

Fez is at work so she grabs the phone and calls a friend from class asking her to explain to the professor that she has a family emergency and will be gone for a week.

Then she calls her brother up in Michigan and tells him that she's coming.

She packs a bag, leaves a note and gets behind the wheel of her car and hesitates.

She can't leave without telling the Formans so she calls Red's shop and tells him where she's going.

She hangs up but her hand stays on the phone, debating.

* * *

Then she calls Groove's.

Eric picks up and she's not sure whether to be thankful or not.

"Eric. Can you put Steven on?"

"Jackie are you alright?"

"Eric, please."

She hears some muffled sounds and then it's his voice that she hears.

"Jackie?"

"Steven, I..."

"You took off."

He sounds sad and her heart squeezes.

"I'm going to see my brother."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry, I-I'll talk to you when I come back."

He clutches the phone aware that Eric is staring at him.

"Take all the time you need."

He waited months for her, he can wait a little more.

It hurts but Jackie Burkhart is a girl worth waiting for.

"I love you."

She hangs up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> I got really inspired so this flowed out of me.
> 
> Let me know what you think of this!
> 
> We got a few more chapters to go.
> 
> Hopefully I can get the next chapter out sometime this week or the next.


End file.
